The Diva Del Mar Reviews The Playground
Warning: This review contains spoilers!
As a late addition to the Fantastic Fest line up, I chose to watch Bartosz M. Kowalski’s The Playground with little background research, as I usually prefer to watch my movies unbiased. I knew it had something to do with children behaving badly, which can make for interesting fare on the silver screen. I was imagining I’d be seeing something along the lines of Lord of the Flies or an urban I Declare War. Then Evrim, a programmer for Fantastic Fest, introduced the movie as one that divided the programming team. The movie barely slid into the Fantastic Fest schedule, and he welcomed the audience to come discuss it afterwards. His tone was serious and he apologetically warned us that the film featured an act of “true horror.” The lights went down and I sat in the dark, with an ominous mood realizing that I had picked a social commentary film, which meant, it might mess up my jovial day of revelry. Why else would Evrim warn us of a disturbing scene on the fourth day of a film festival that specializes in disturbing content?
I watched the movie and sure enough, I was horrified. The final scene is to date, one of the most viscerally disturbing scenes I have ever witnessed. The filmmakers did such a great job of setting up this final, horrible sequence, it triggered a physical response. My body had a sudden urge to leap off the theater seat and run towards the screen, to stop the madness. I think most women who watch this movie, especially those with young children, will feel something similar. I decided I couldn’t write this movie up because frankly, I didn’t want to think about what I had just seen.
(Begin spoilers.)
Later on, I was chatting with my buddy, Gordon. He asked what the movie was about and I gave him a synopsis. He mentioned that it sounded like a famous case in England, years back, about two boys who had murdered a small child near a railroad track. Gordon proceeded to describe the exact circumstances of the third act of the film. Puzzled, I researched the case and found that there was indeed and highly discussed crime. The original victim was 2 year old James Bulger, who in 1993 was murdered by two older children. It’s like Kowalski brought the old murder case to life on the silver screen, except he had the event happen in Poland, instead of England, and created a back story for the two boys. I couldn’t find much about the movie online, and it’s not listed in IMDB yet, so they may allude to the actual case in the future. It’s definitely not a coincidence.
In my conversation with Gordon, he mentioned that this murder case opened up an international conversation about the detrimental effects of children raised in latchkey situations as well as how to handle children who commit heinous crimes in the legal system. The latchkey issue is truly what The Playground brings into focus with brutal honesty and unforgettable imagery. The two criminally minded boys are the products of neglect, parental abuse, and poverty. There is nobody in their lives to guide them through the confusing, hormone-fueled identity crisis that is puberty. As with many cases of abuse, the boys tackle their need for validation and attention by becoming predatory bullies.
To illustrate the progression from light-weight bully tactics to full blown murder, Kowalski uses a third fictional character as a stepping stone. The movie starts with Gabrysia, a sweet little girl who is ready to confess her love for Szymek, one of the two bullies. Her innocent endeaver leads her to a treacherous encounter with the two boys. The situation becomes tense and scary, and we see the boys flex their proverbial crime muscles. The incident leaves them feeling unsatisfied and hungering for a more complete experience. Gabrysia was too strong for them, and they didn’t have any kind of plan in place. They learn from this experience and take their criminal mischief to a new level in the last act.
I can’t say I’m thrilled I saw this movie. And don’t get me wrong, it’s beautifully filmed, acted, and produced. It’s just that there are things I’d like to unsee, and yet, I’m glad that I have been reminded of this issue. Knee-deep into an election year, it’s important for us to take a look at the state of our country, the welfare of our children, and what we need to do to improve our system. It’s important that cases like that of poor James Bulger are not forgotten among the pop culture “issues” that blind us from those screaming in need. Children who kill children, are screaming not only in need, but in pain. The Playground offers us a catalyst for the conversations that can bring about change. And I admire Kowalski for taking on such a huge issue for his country and for children all over the world.
Thanks for reading.
Diva Del Mar
