The Wolfpack is a 2015 documentary that tells the story of six brothers and a sister whose father confined them inside of their 4-bedroom, New York City apartment for almost all of their lives. Their mother Susanne homeschooled the children. Their father Oscar had the only door key and prohibited them from departing the apartment except for a few strictly monitored excursions.
The brothers became incredibly creative during their life spent indoors and built a world of their own by reenacting scenes from their favorite movies. Watching films was how the boys learned about the outside world.
Their lives changed after 15-year-old Mukunda decided to walk around their neighborhood against their father's instructions to stay inside in January 2010. After that, the children decided to venture outside and explore Manhattan.
Crystal Moselle, the director of the film, ran into the siblings during one of their outings. Their hair reached their waists and they wore black Ray-Ban sunglasses reminiscent of Reservoir Dogs. When Crystal became friends with the boys, she found out that they had been locked away in their Manhattan apartment for 14 years, that they learned about the world from movies, and that most social situations were alien to them. Having a love for movies in common, they quickly became friends with Crystal.
One of the things that stood out to me was how the brothers' worldview had been completely shaped by the way that life is portrayed in film. It's amazing to see the artistic inner world that they constructed over the years to keep themselves occupied and to see what it was like for them to finally venture out onto the streets. I haven't been able to stop thinking about their unbelievable story ever since I watched this film.
