Plac zabaw (2016) Reviews

• A masterpiece?

  nestor-trujillo2018-01-16

  I. "There's no hope to be had in humanity, not even in children. I haven't been this torn apart, this disturbed, this uncomfortable since 'Irreversible' but at least I felt the soul and heartbreak behind that film, not the cold emptiness I feel now. A great film but I sincerely don't think I can rate it." The above blurb is of my initial reaction to the latest transgressive Polish film "Plac Zabaw" (or "Playground" in English-speaking countries), which I wrote on Letterboxd upon exiting the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles. I'm tempted to leave it as such but after sitting on it for a month I think it's worth a try to "recommend" or, at least, talk about this film in the hopes that someone may see it (if you can, since it seems finding a copy of this film is near impossible at the moment). II. Playground can be called many things: "Irreversible" meets "Kids", social commentary, even "awful garbage", which was said by the two other people with me in the theater as they walked out. One of them was in tears. A testament to the film's power I think lies in the fact that it is able to draw such a reaction. Mind you, this is no "I Spit on Your Grave" trying to make money out of its shock appeal. At least, I don't think it is. Truth be told, a month has passed and I'm still on the fence over whether this film is art or exploitation. It is filled with both subtle and gratuitous violence, mostly unmotivated, wholly unexplained. There is something to be said about the three children it follows and their distinct class divisions. There is something to be said about the cruelty of childhood. There is something to be said about Polish youth today (recalling the right-wing youth protests in Poland last year). There is something to be said about poverty, media, humanity... but what does it all mean? These, I think, are crucial topics - not whether the film is violent, despicable, exploitative or this and that - whose conclusions viewers should reach themselves. III. To briefly touch on the technical side, the film is certainly beautifully shot and uniquely structured and edited, making for a fine piece of European arthouse cinema. It is also riddled with symbolism and moments of quiet surrealism, in particular a fly which, not without purpose, found its way to the film's cover poster (I wonder what that could mean?). IV. One final note, I remember reading a little review of "Playground" that said: "You don't have to acquiesce to this kind of filmmaking. 'Oh but you're angry! It succeeded!' Cool, so rush hour traffic is now cinema. Good to know." My response to this is (1) it's impossible to equate the shock and anger this movie generates to the trivial and solvable frustration of rush hour traffic and (2) they are absolutely, no one needs to acquiesce to this kind of filmmaking, the right is yours, but those who choose to do so may indeed find a truly rewarding experience.

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• Be warned

  wojciech_mar2017-05-09

  This film by a young Polish director, continues the great releases from this country over the last few years. I could mention a few titles that have been released but wont as it will take up too much space here. Polish cinema is going through a golden age, but I fear that the world has not woken up to it, and it is basically unknown except to certain cinema professionals. In this film two boys have problems at home relating to home-care that has been forcibly placed on them. One has to care for his invalid father and the other has to sleep in the same room with his crying infant brother. These boys of around 12 years of age, later mentally torture a female classmate who has an infatuation with one of them. In the last chapter something extraordinary happens that would be distressing to all viewers. Be warned. As for the making of this film, the visuals (very raw, showing the ugliness of Poland town life), the connections with chapter headings, the tension, acting, narrative, plot, etc. make it a gem of a film, and one that you will never forget. I've taken one star off for the not so clear dialogue by the young boys and for the disturbing theme. Therefore a nine.

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• Dreadful ...

  kosmasp2018-02-09

  ... but is it good? Well it's very well made. And you can argue that the acting is really good. It almost feels too real. As in documentary real and painful in a way that you are inside the whole thing, watching some despicable characters and some very awful things happening too. Of course kids will be kids as they say, but how much can they get away with? And how much or how far do they go? It's not that the movie has answers to all the questions. We have a couple of kids who have their own worries and their own lifes. We get to see how they are at home and how they act when they are at school (and with friends). So while I cannot stress out enough, that this movie might feel slow and dragging to some, not to mention a bit dark (to put it mildly), it is also very well made. So if you are into arthouse and real life cinema ... this is it.

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• Shocking

  cartnett2016-11-21

  The plot is talking about last day at school three of 12-years old teenagers coming from different families. The director slowly showed us their worlds. You feel that in some moment something it's gonna happened but you don't know what it's gonna be... The final of this story is shocking, very strong and what is more scary- based on the real story.I have never seen in my life more stronger final of the movie.Film only for adults. Director is asking about the roots of evil and we he showed us that even children are not free from them. From the other side Bartosz M. Kowalski has touched the problem so often not absent, overworked parents who have no idea how really looks like the life of their own kids.

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• Dear lord, don't watch this...

  coursey6932019-05-05

  Here's another rambling, mess of a review. I've seen every disturbing movie that exists except for two famous/infamous films that we all know. With that qualification, this movie is at least in my top ten sick-to-my-stomach films I've ever seen. I like to go into movies knowing as little as possible about them. I watched this movie based on a one or two sentence description. It could have been a short film for all I knew (no duration was listed). Imagine my surprise at what I found. It was the perfect storm. I suppose I'm lucky. Since I watch films hoping to actually feel something, I won the lottery. I can only hope that some of you view this movie as I did, with no preconceptions or ideas of what to expect. After everything that we have seen, this is what many people search for; this feeling of being utterly stunned. At this moment, there are four reviews. Against all IMDb odds, all four are accurate, valid, and, for the most part, spoiler-free. This film is art. How many filmmakers would love to be able to make the audience feel as terrible as I feel after watching this movie? I'm sure most horror movies try, but how many are successful? You can't just show crazy violence and expect this reaction. Some might portray some graphic or gruesome act that might make you look away or cringe, but not the gut-punch of this movie. Well done, movie making people.

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