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Seven Siblings Grew Up Locked In Apartment And Learned From Movies

by Sean Levinson
The Wolfpack

A new documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival tells the story of a huge family that almost never leaves its New York City apartment.

Peruvian immigrant Oscar Angulo and his wife Susanne have six sons named Bhagavan, Govinda, Narayana, Mukunda, Krisna and Jagadesh as well as one daughter, Visnu.

Government aid pays for them to live in a four-bedroom apartment on the Lower East Side, according to The New York Times, which director Crystal Moselle ventures into for her film "The Wolfpack."

Oscar has the front door's only key, and it stays locked nearly 24/7.

Home schooled by their mother and only allowed to leave their home a few times a year if ever, the children have just one source of information about the outside world.

They are permitted to watch an unlimited amount of movies and have seen approximately 5,000 that were rented from the library or bought for cheap.

Moselle stumbled upon the kids in 2010 during a rare trip down First Avenue.

She was intrigued by their waist-long hair and Ray-Bans, inspired by Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs."

Moselle told The New York Times,

I just started running after them to find out more and was instantly obsessed.

While locked inside, the brothers feed their creative desires by re-enacting scenes from movies.

One unforgettable moment features two of them dressing up like Batman and Bane from "The Dark Knight Rises," with costumes made from cereal boxes and yoga mats, Daily Mail reports.

Moselle expresses concern for the effect the movies will have on their perception of the world.

She says,

Real life is different. In real life, the girl doesn't always break your heart. The boys are still struggling to understand that.

The children received psychiatric treatment at some point following intervention from the police and later government agencies.

They love their mother but have grown to resent their father, who exhibits the same control over Susanne as he does his offspring.

Naranya says he fears “being so ignorant of the world that I won't be able to handle it."

Oscar is described as a paranoid alcoholic who believes New York will "contaminate" his children.

But despite their upbringing, viewers will be pleasantly surprised at how likeable the kids are.

Moselle says,

The thing is, these brothers are some of the most gentle, insightful, curious people I've ever met. Something was clearly done right.

Drama ensues when one of the brothers leaves the home, turning the family's stability on its head.

Several more have since left the apartment.

"The Wolfpack" premiered at the Sundance film festival last month where it won the Grand Jury Prize.

Citations: Growing up recluse (Daily Mail), The Wolfpack Tells of One New York Apartment With Seven Children Locked Inside (The New York Times)