You Are Not Alone: Fighting the Wolf Pack 2024 Movie Review
In the early hours of 7th July 2016, Spain was rocked by a heinous crime that would go on to spark the European’s very own version of the MeToo movement. Unbeknownst to the victim at the time, and those responsible, this crime in the heart of Pamplona would change the way the court system, and the general public at large, would feel about sexual abuse and what constitutes as rape.
The documentary, clocking in at 1 hour 40 minutes, does a great job of drawing parallels between what happened in 2016 to an earlier case 8 years prior involving a woman called Nagore. This shocking crime saw Nagore killed for refusing to have sex with a man that tried to force himself upon her.
In 2016 however, the girl (dubbed as Lucia in the documentary to protect her identity) didn’t say no. In fact, she was paralyzed by fear when five men cornered her, pushed the girl into a doorway of a building and proceeded to rape her, all whilst filming the incident on their phone.
These men, self-proclaimed as the “Wolf-Pack”, maintain their nonchalant attitude throughout the documentary and whenever they show up on their videos, believing that because she “didn’t say no” then Lucia consented to what they did.
However, what follows this shocking case is where the documentary excels, showing the power of dissenting voices and how much difference a social movement can make to pressure authorities into doing the right thing.
The documentary has a really good pacing to it, and the way it draws parallels to the 2008 case is testament to the editing, which remains crisp and well presented throughout. There are a number of talking head testimonies here as well, including the female police officer who initially found Lucia sitting on a bench, and statements from both the prosecution and defendant lawyers.
Interestingly, the film also briefly touches on the idea of media manipulation, and how that can be used to sway public opinion. As one may expect, this directly ties into social issues, looking at far-right movements and the contrasting fortunes of the victims for these horrible sexual crimes and the perpetrators who committed them.
This one will absolutely tug at your heartstrings too, and hearing some of the court officials rip apart Lucia’s statement makes for a very uncomfortable viewing. However, there are similarly empowering moments to contrast this, especially toward the end of the film.
For those unaware of this case, You Are Not Alone: Fighting the Wolf Pack does an excellent job of picking apart the flaws in the Spanish judicial system, along with the power of dissenting voices and raising awareness for all women to feel empowered and equal in a system that seems rife for manipulation.
