Based on an actual racial incident in
Gothenburg, Sweden in which a group of black
teenagers carried out a series of thefts of
other children's personal belongings for a
period of two years, Swedish director Ruben
Ostlund's Play is about using psychological game
playing rather than name-calling, threats, or
overt violence to bully your target. It is a
compelling study of how our lives are often run
by stereotypes, racial or otherwise, and how the
line between victims and victimizers can be a
thin one. In this case, both the bullies and the
victims are children, but the games people play
could just as easily apply to adults, or even
governments.
One of the most promising young filmmakers,
whose style is reminiscent of Michael Haneke and
Roy Andersson, Ostlund's camera is
observational, simply recording what is taking
place without comment.
The film opens inside a shopping mall where we
see a panoramic view that includes the shops,
stairways, and two levels, highlighting even the
smallest detail. We hear the sound of
conversations but do not know where they are
coming from. The camera then zooms in on two
small white middle-class children walking
through the mall lobby. They are approached from
the left by five 12-14 year-old boys (all black
and immigrants) who ask them for the correct
time.
The game is established early, though the main
victims of the film are three other children of
well-to-do parents who appear later. Most likely
repeated many, many times during their two-year
crime spree, the game is played like this. One
of the approaching black teens asks a younger
child for the time. When the white child pulls
out his cell phone to check the time, he is
accused of stealing the phone that belongs to
his alleged brother. He tells the boy that the
phone has the same exact scratch on it as the
one that was stolen from his brother, and asks
to confirm it by showing it to his
brother.
When the child refuses, a “good cop/bad cop”
routine is played out in which one of the five
pretends to be a friend of the harassed boy. The
child inevitably denies that he stole the phone
giving the “good cop” the job of reassuring him,
saying, “Okay, I believe you, but we have to
solve this, right?" He tells the boy not to
worry, that his friends are not trying to rob or
hurt them. At the same time, the “bad cops” are
making aggressive demands in an intimidating
manner. Ostlund keeps the characters at a
distance with mostly long static shots, yet we
feel that we are there with the victims, acutely
feeling their tension, frustration, and growing
fear.
The scenario is then repeated, this time with
three other children, two white (Sebastian and
Alex and John who is of Asian origin). Compelled
by fear and insecurity, the boys allow the
bullies to control the game and only rarely ask
for support from adults. When they do come in
contact with them, the adults are reluctant to
become involved, or, as shown later in the film,
become involved inappropriately. The white boys
are forced to follow their black tormentors
around the city, on trams, and buses, then
finally out into a remote, wooded area of
Gothenburg where the game is played until its
ultimate end point. Though the victims have
several opportunities to escape, they do not
take them, perhaps because the fear of black
violence has been so firmly instilled in them
that they feel that they have to be “nice” in
order to save themselves.
Play has a light touch as well. In one scene, a
group of feather-clad Indians do a war chant for
donations in the middle of a busy street. In
another amusing sequence, a cradle is placed
between the second and third compartments on a
moving train and remains there despite the
urgent pleas of the conductor to move it for
safety reasons. When he gets no response in
Swedish, he repeats the warning in English. One
of the key moments of the film is a sudden
attack by older gang members against the young
perpetrators in the back of a bus. Later, when
one of the gang of thieves wants out, he is
kicked and beaten inside the bus by the other
four. Also, in a reversal of roles, the bullies
blame the bullied. One says, "Anyone dumb enough
to show his cell phone to five black guys
deserves whatever he gets."
Finally, an end game is set up by the
perpetrators. A contest takes place in which
both sides choose their fastest runners and
whoever wins the race gets to take everyone's
valuables. Of course, the winner is
pre-determined and the white children lose all
of their personal belongings, including their
cell phones, a jacket, and an expensive clarinet
belonging to John. A follow-up to Ostlund's
highly praised 2008 film, Involuntary, Play is a
complex and multi-layered film that has a
surprise twist near the end. Filled with sharp
insights into human behavior, Ostlund challenges
us to shine a mirror on our own behavior and see
whether or not we employ the same kind of
psychological tricks ourselves to get what we
want. Despite a few shocking moments that do not
add much to the film, Play is a brilliant work
of art that deserves to be seen.
GRADE: A-