The Wolves - School Screening
(Los Lobos)

Eight year old Max and his younger brother Leo don't have much, but they have each other and their mother Lucía. And they share a dream as well: to visit Disneyland one day. The family has recently emigrated to the USA from Mexico, and while Lucía tries to finance their new life by doing a series of poorly-paid jobs, the two brothers spend their days in their sparsely furnished one-room flat. The walls of the room, which they are forbidden to leave, become a projection screen for imaginative adventures and open a window on their new life. But as the boys spend more time looking through the window at the world beyond, their craving for adventure leads them to disobey their mother’s instructions and step outside the apartment. Meeting with a gang of local boys is the start of a whole new chapter...

"...puts a harsh spotlight on The American Dream."

Recalling aspects of his own upbringing, the film’s director Samuel Kishi Leopo has crafted a story for our times, recognisable and affecting. Capturing the narrow world in which the boys are confined – and the outbursts of imaginative energy in their superhero alter-egos – this is at once both full of despair and full of hope for their future. Challenging the audience to really look at the lives on show – “what do you see?” – this is a film that puts a harsh spotlight on The American Dream, and once again finds it’s not like Disneyland at all.

Dir: Samuel Kishi Leopo
Mexico 2019 / 1h35m / Age 15+
Spanish (and Cantonese) with English subtitles

Here's more from Festival Producer, Mike Tait, on why you should watch The Wolves:

Find out more about booking a screening
Find out more about watching online