Mother Suzanne, a former Midwestern hippie, homeschooled the boys and lived under her own complex set of rules. In a good year, the boys might get outside six times. One year, they never made it out at all.

All the more surprising, then, that the Angulo boys turned out to be so thoughtful and wildly creative. Cooped up at home, they coped by reenacting scenes from favorite movies, complete with homemade costumes and props. Confinement forced them to leverage their creativity—and when they made it outside, they met the world with unusual openness and curiosity. Observed in the lobby of Magnolia’s offices, the six are bright-eyed, one chatting with a press rep about the Cannes film festival, another discussing his plan to see The Who’s reunion concert.

The Wolfpack’s June 12 release is preceded with buzz: the film screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, won the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and will be distributed worldwide by Magnolia. In advance of its nationwide release, Moselle sat down to discuss the film’s genesis, development and repercussions.

You’ve talked a lot about how you met the boys, but I was curious about your first meeting with the parents. Can you talk about that?

The first time I met the parents was on the street one day, when I was with the boys and Oscar and Suzanne walked by. It was very brief, they were polite, it was a chance encounter. Then I met Suzanne when the boys invited me over for Thanksgiving dinner.