Are documentaries just becoming a longer form of "reality TV", with all the negative connotations attached to that genre? That's been my contention and the contention of other documentarians for awhile as more and more films seem...let's say "manufactured". While there are still true examples of the format offered by Amy Berg, Steve James and others, there's no doubt the line is getting more blurry. And one of those documentaries which I think is highly questionable is the Sundance Award-winner, The Wolfpack.
Directed by Crystal Mosell, the film follows a group of seven Manhattan siblings who have been locked away in their Lower East Side apartment for the majority of their lives by their father, so they learn about society by watching and reenacting movies. It's a terrific premise but the question has been raised, and rightly so, about the legitimacy of the whole thing. If they are so under lock and key, how did the director encounter them to begin with? If the Dad is so strict, why would he allow any of this? The whole thing smacks of an elaborate stunt designed to do make these kids famous, so mission accomplished.
The Wolfpack hits theaters June 12th.
THE WOLFPACK - || Official trailer teaser #1 || - 2015 - Full HD - Entertainment City by ENTERTAINMENT CITY
