Lobo means wolf in Spanish. These particular wolves are two brothers, Max and Leo whose mother has brought them to Albuquerque, fleeing from undisclosed threat in Mexico. We never learn much about the backstory, instead the focus is on the boys’ new life. Their mother soon gets work which means she’s out all day and the boys have to entertain themselves in a small dingy apartment. The claustrophobia is perhaps reminiscent of Lennie Abrahamson’s Room, with a similar dramatic tension. Surely, sooner or later, the outside world is going to intervene and when it does, what will it bring? The eventual fate of the brothers is surprising in that the film doesn’t go where one expects, even if the plight of the immigrants is captured in meticulous detail and the boys’ vulnerability is never less than heart-aching. There’s a great deal of directorial skill in the way that the movie maintains tension in spite of the fact it never leaves the room for long swathes of time, whilst the acting of both boys (played by actual brothers, Maxi and Leo Nájar Márquez) and the battle-weary mother (Martha Reyes Arias) is exceptional. Los Lobos is a significant addition to the gamut of films which address the difficulties and obstacles faced by immigrants around the world.
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