The Wolfpack 2015

Wesley Morris, Grantland: What a sad, strange, intoxicating movie. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, TIME Magazine: Everything about The Wolfpack is extraordinary, beginning with the subjects of Crystal Moselle's mesmerizing documentary. Read more

Scott Foundas, Variety: There is much to enjoy in director Crystal Moselle's debut documentary feature, which if nothing else begs a where-are-they-now sequel a few years down the road. Read more

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, AV Club: What starts as a nonfiction mood piece grows frustratingly opaque as the brothers begin to venture out into the real world, meet girls, and get jobs. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: It's stunning (and amazingly well done) and hard to believe. Yet it's all true, as far as we know. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Undeniably fascinating. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: It all adds up to a story of the human spirit's ability to survive and even thrive despite twisted circumstance. Read more

Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com: The boys are bright and funny, and when they do go out together - shades on, long hair flowing down rail-thin bodies - they look like a somewhat awkward but cool rock band you'd like to get to know. Moselle's documentary is the next best thing. Read more

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: Scratching the surface of a story one suspects is a good deal thornier than what's explicitly shown here, Crystal Moselle's The Wolfpack introduces a gang of siblings who have been raised in near-complete isolation in downtown Manhattan. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Even in the context of Tolstoy's famous dictum that every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, the story of the Angulo brothers stands out. Read more

Amy Nicholson, L.A. Weekly: A Manhattan fable about fear Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Whether they are dancing exuberantly to the cheesy 1980s pop hit Tarzan Boy or celebrating Halloween in their tiny living room, these kids figured out how to not only survive, but thrive. Sometimes, with a little luck and a lot of love, joy finds a way. Read more

Anthony Lane, New Yorker: Their virtual imprisonment has shaped but not ruined them, and we slowly see them venture into the wilds of regular existence. Read more

Ella Taylor, NPR: Moselle is also a patient observer who, without judgment or superfluous underlining, gradually teases out the pathos and the riveting dramas -- some dark and disturbing, some bizarrely entertaining and heartening -- of the parents. Read more

Katherine Pushkar, New York Daily News: There is a train-wreck quality to this film. The story is so astounding, you can't look away. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: Sometimes, all you need is a great subject to make a great documentary - or a willingness to chase after total strangers. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: What if all you knew of the world came from Hollywood movies? That's a loaded question - and Crystal Moselle's gripping doc runs with it. You won't be able to pull your eyes off the screen. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: A strange and fascinating experience; you feel like you've been given entry into a mysterious world, where no one else is permitted. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: We are presented with something peculiar, that's noteworthy mainly for it's just being weird. Frankly, it's not weird enough to completely engage viewers for more than 90 minutes. Read more

Simon Houpt, Globe and Mail: If the film is patchy, it shows promise. Thankfully, so do the boys themselves. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: [It] has to be seen to be believed. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Filmmaker Crystal Moselle has seized onto terrifically compelling material, and while she hangs back with admirable distance, Grey Gardens-like, you wonder how she earned the Angulos' trust. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: The Wolfpack is a reminder that much of the "crap" we decry has the potential to liberate, offering a bridge off the island of terror we call the nuclear family. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: More than a testament to the power of cinematic storytelling as food for the human spirit, "The Wolfpack" also is a portrait of a family that has had to rely on each other to survive. Read more