Greetings again from the darkness - from the Dallas International Film Festival. In what is one of the oddest real life stories I have ever seen, director Crystal Moselle takes her camera inside the Lower East Side apartment of the Angulo family – 6 brothers, one sister, and their parents. In their spare time, the kids re-enact movies within the apartment using elaborate costumes, sets and props. And no, that's not the odd part.
Despite being mostly teenagers, these siblings have only left their apartment a few times in their life – a very few times
maybe once or twice a year, and not at all one year. They have been home schooled by their mother and are quite charming and articulate, despite the quasi-prison environment. The kids are not abused in the physical sense, but an argument can be made that mental anguish is in play here.
Their movie scenes are fun to watch, especially given their Tarantino leanings with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Ms. Moselle manages to capture a significant amount within the confines of the apartment. Her interviews with the boys are enlightening, but it's the mother that provides the most context. Her regrets and dashed dreams for her kids cause her much pain, and it's quite clear that the dad has some type of psychological vice grip on the family. The dad raises some eyebrows when he states "My power is influencing people". As viewers, we don't see this, but there is physical proof to his claim.
With no shortage of powerful moments, there are still two that jump off the screen. The first occurs as the boys head out on their own to watch their first movie in a real theatre, and then have such a fan boy moment after watching The Fighter. The second involves the mom having a conversation with her mother after not speaking for more than two decades. It's an emotional moment.
We can't help but like the boys and pull for them to find some normalcy outside the walls of the apartment. Their final film project needs no additional commentary as the lead character watches various emotions travel past his window
fitting since a NYC apartment window provided this family its only glances at the real world for so many years.
