Devil's Playground
Encyclopedia
Devil's Playground is a 2002 documentary film
by Stick Figure Productions, directed by Lucy Walker about the experiences of several Amish
youths deciding whether to remain in or leave their community and faith during the period known as rumspringa
("running around" in Pennsylvania Dutch). The film follows a few Amish teenagers
in LaGrange County, Indiana who enter the "english" (non-Amish) world and experience partying, drinking
, illegal drugs, and pre-marital sex. Some teens in the film profess that they will eventually become baptised as adults in the Amish community. If they are baptized, then leave the church, they will be shunned
by family and friends; one girl recounts her experience of this.
.
One Amish youth whom the film follows, Faron—a preacher's son
—even turns to drug dealing to satisfy his habit. Faron is eventually apprehended by the authorities; he aids them in arresting another dealer. Each of the film's subjects faces a variety of challenges and pressures from both the "English World" and the "Amish World" of their families. Some make the commitment to return to their communities, others do not. One girl is baptized but later leaves the Amish church, resulting in her family shunning
her.
According to the documentary, "over 90%" of Amish youth decide to join the church, returning to their communities and families.
Documentary Category and overall Grand Prize,
the 2001 Sarasota Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary,
and a Jury's Special Mention in the Documentary Category in the 2002 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Czech Republic).
The film was nominated by jury for Best Documentary for the 2003 IFP's Independent Spirit Awards.
It was also nominated for three 2002 News and Documentary Emmy awards: Best Documentary, Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Direction, and Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Editing.
The film received reviews varying from positive to mixed, averaging 56% at the Rotten Tomatoes
aggregator among professional reviewers, and 70% among RT members.
Dennis Harvey of Variety
stated, "To filmmaker Lucy Walker's credit, results transcend their sensational first impression, thanks to empathetic focus on a few select kids going through enormous changes," and summed it up as "engrossing."
Los Angeles Times
critic Kenneth Turan called it "one of the best documentaries in the festival (Sundance
)", "the film deals in a poignant way with", rumspringa, and "This examination of the life-changing question one teen calls 'to be or not to be Amish' is haunting, provocative and unexpected."
Film Threat's
Anthony Miele found the film "interesting and informative", but it "alludes to 'document' an entire sub-culture of a particular society, but [...] simply follows one troubled youth, Faron."
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Stick Figure Productions, directed by Lucy Walker about the experiences of several Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
youths deciding whether to remain in or leave their community and faith during the period known as rumspringa
Rumspringa
Rumspringa Pronounced A- generally refers to a period of adolescence for some members of the Amish, a subsect of the Anabaptist Christian movement, that begins around the...
("running around" in Pennsylvania Dutch). The film follows a few Amish teenagers
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
in LaGrange County, Indiana who enter the "english" (non-Amish) world and experience partying, drinking
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, illegal drugs, and pre-marital sex. Some teens in the film profess that they will eventually become baptised as adults in the Amish community. If they are baptized, then leave the church, they will be shunned
Shunning
Shunning can be the act of social rejection, or mental rejection. Social rejection is when a person or group deliberately avoids association with, and habitually keeps away from an individual or group. This can be a formal decision by a group, or a less formal group action which will spread to all...
by family and friends; one girl recounts her experience of this.
Synopsis
According to Devil's Playground, at the age of 16, Amish youth are allowed to depart from many of the Amish rules. The young people sample life outside of the Amish community. Many drive cars, wear modern clothes and cut and style their hair in more fashionable styles, get jobs, have romantic and sexual relationships, and some experiment with drugsDRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
.
One Amish youth whom the film follows, Faron—a preacher's son
Preacher's kid
Preacher's kid is a term to refer to a child of a preacher, pastor, deacon, vicar, lay leader, minister or other similar church leader...
—even turns to drug dealing to satisfy his habit. Faron is eventually apprehended by the authorities; he aids them in arresting another dealer. Each of the film's subjects faces a variety of challenges and pressures from both the "English World" and the "Amish World" of their families. Some make the commitment to return to their communities, others do not. One girl is baptized but later leaves the Amish church, resulting in her family shunning
Shunning
Shunning can be the act of social rejection, or mental rejection. Social rejection is when a person or group deliberately avoids association with, and habitually keeps away from an individual or group. This can be a formal decision by a group, or a less formal group action which will spread to all...
her.
According to the documentary, "over 90%" of Amish youth decide to join the church, returning to their communities and families.
Reception
The film won the 2001 Sony/AFI DVCam FestDocumentary Category and overall Grand Prize,
the 2001 Sarasota Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary,
and a Jury's Special Mention in the Documentary Category in the 2002 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Czech Republic).
The film was nominated by jury for Best Documentary for the 2003 IFP's Independent Spirit Awards.
It was also nominated for three 2002 News and Documentary Emmy awards: Best Documentary, Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Direction, and Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Editing.
The film received reviews varying from positive to mixed, averaging 56% at the Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
aggregator among professional reviewers, and 70% among RT members.
Dennis Harvey of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
stated, "To filmmaker Lucy Walker's credit, results transcend their sensational first impression, thanks to empathetic focus on a few select kids going through enormous changes," and summed it up as "engrossing."
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
critic Kenneth Turan called it "one of the best documentaries in the festival (Sundance
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
)", "the film deals in a poignant way with", rumspringa, and "This examination of the life-changing question one teen calls 'to be or not to be Amish' is haunting, provocative and unexpected."
Film Threat's
Film Threat
Film Threat is a former print magazine and, now, webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVDs of mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André...
Anthony Miele found the film "interesting and informative", but it "alludes to 'document' an entire sub-culture of a particular society, but [...] simply follows one troubled youth, Faron."