WOLFPACK - one of the brothers gives a damn about the enviro

[Oscar]

WATCH: One of the brothers in the hit documentary “[b]The Wolfpack” gives a damn about the environment[/b]

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By Suzanne Jacobs on 1 Aug 2015

Narayana Angulo spent practically his entire childhood locked in a cramped public housing apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He and his six siblings grew up under the strict rule of a controlling father, Oscar, who let them go outside maybe a few times a year, although never during the winter, and one year, not at all. The family lived on welfare and whatever small income the kids’ mother, Susanne, earned for homeschooling the whole brood.

The Angulos’ incredible story is featured in the new documentary The Wolfpack. [ http://www.magpictures.com/thewolfpack/ ] The film focuses on how, with almost no connection to the outside world and only so much to do in their four-bedroom apartment, Narayana and his brothers turned to movies (their sister, Visnu, has special needs). They watched thousands of films over the years and even reenacted some of their favorites on camera: Reservoir Dogs, Halloween, No Country for Old Men, JFK. They used handwritten scripts (if they didn’t already have the dialogue memorized) and homemade props.

TRAILER: Here’s Narayana playing Samuel L. Jackson’s character in Pulp Fiction:
The Wolfpack is now a hit. It won the grand jury prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and is available both in select theaters and online.

Today, life is very different for the Angulo boys. In 2010, Narayana’s younger brother Mukunda (15 at the time), ventured outside without his father’s permission. The others, now between the ages of 16 and 23, gradually followed suit and have since fully assimilated with the outside world. Some of the boys no longer speak with their father, although only one — Narayana’s fraternal twin, Govinda — has actually moved out. Some have jobs, a few cut their long hair, and two even changed their names.

For Narayana, now 22, freedom meant finally being able to pursue one of his longtime passions: environmental activism. For the past three years, he’s worked for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), a nonprofit advocacy organization. Most of his work with NYPIRG has focused on the anti-fracking campaign in New York that culminated in a statewide fracking ban last December. [ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/nyreg ... .html?_r=0 ]

I spoke with Narayana over the phone about how he developed an interest in the environment from inside a tiny apartment in Manhattan and how he’d eventually like to make movies that bring environmental issues to the silver screen. Our conversation has been edited and condensed.

Q. How did you get interested in the environment?

A. It was really my mom that sparked my environmental interest. She was my teacher growing up, and she made sure that we were very well-educated on the environmental issues. Science was one of my favorite subjects, so I would read all these books about climate change and toxic chemicals. I read a lot about Rachel Carson. Reading Encounters of the Archdruid, [ http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5497 ... _Archdruid ] I was really inspired by how big of an activist [David Bower] was when he took his journey with these men and tried to tell them the importance of conservation. I also was a big admirer of Jane Goodall. And Sandra Steingraber as well — Living Downstream and her long personal battle with toxic chemicals, with breast cancer and trying to raise awareness for other people who are facing the same sort of issues. Oh, and of course, Lois Gibbs.

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