Devil's Playground
by Lucy Walker
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DVD details
Actor: Emma Miller, Faron Yoder, Gerald Yutzy, Joann Hochstetler, Velda BontragerDirector: Lucy Walker
Brand: Genius
Cinematographer: Daniel Kern
Cinematographer: Lucy Walker
Editor: Pax Wassermann
Producer: Carolyn Cantor
Producer: Daniel Laikind
Producer: Julie Goldman
Producer: Mandy Stein
Producer: Nancy Abraham
Producer: Sheila Nevins
Producer: Steven Cantor
Producer: Tanaz Eshaghian
Producer: Toby Oppenheimer
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 77 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-02-04
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Wellspring
DVD Reviews of Devil's Playground
DVD Review: A Different Side of Amish Culture
Summary: 4 Stars
When most people think of the Amish they probably think of a group that tenaciously clings to "the old ways" in the name of religion. Devil's Playground highlights a completely-different aspect of Amish culture. The Amish force their children to drop out of school after the eighth grade (because they believe that education causes pride). When Amish youth turn 16, their families turn them out into the broader world in a ritual called rumspringa; the youths often indulge in all sorts of previously-forbidden activities (drinking, drugs, sex, driving, dressing in contemporary clothing, etc.). While the youth party, they must make a life-altering decision - whether to return to the Amish faith and promise to remain loyal for the rest of their lives.
The best part of this movie is the human angle. The viewer watches as sheltered children experience the broader world. We see Amish youth who have all sorts of reactions to the sudden freedom. One woman returns to the church and accepts baptism. Another woman accepted baptism, then left the church anyway; this causes her entire family to shun her. One preacher's son becomes involved in drug dealing and cannot decide what to do with his life. Viewers will care about these kids, each of whom faces the same life-defining choice.
There are just a few areas where one could improve Devil's Playground. I would like to have an update on the kids in this film; I am sure that most of the youth returned to the Amish church, but I would enjoy knowing the details. Also, I thought that too many scenes were shot in the dark, which made the movie, at times, difficult to see.
I strongly recommend Devil's Playground. The film is entertaining, educational, and moving all at the same time.
DVD Review: Devils Playground
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this movie because my girlfriend Em is featured in it. It really helps you get a feel of what these children go through and how there is a totally different world out there. Great documentary. My boyfriend really found it interesting.DVD Review: The Devil and Devil's Playground
Summary: 1 Stars
I ordered this DVD for my Dad's birthday. It arrived.
Audio only.
I paid for a DVD and got a CD.
What on EARTH????
He's elderly, so I can't go through the drudgery of having him mail it back, etc. I just ordered another. (I first watched this after borrowing it from the library.)
If this one's a Dud, I'm going to start shopping retail the old-school way again.
What happened here? So I'm a recovering Catholic? Is that any way to treat a good customer???
DVD Review: Rumspringa
Summary: 5 Stars
"Devil's Playground"
Rumspringa
Amos Lassen
The Amish ritual; of Rumspringa (a coming-of-age, "time for decision" for Amish youth when they decide which path they will choose for life) is the subject of the revealing and sensitive "Devil's Playground". We see the youth immersed in debauchery--drinking, smoking, and partying and in bed together. The Amish refer to the outside world as the "devil's playground". Rumspringa usually occurs on the sixteenth birthday ad it is a period in which they decide if they will join the Amish church as adults. In the center of this documentary is Faron, 18 years old and the son of a preacher who is battling drug addiction. He wants to return to the church and his admission of his drug habit and his adventures in the penal system come across as poignant.
Many (myself included) do not understand the Amish way of life and the Anabaptist origins. The Amish have been romanticized as "holier than thou" when in reality they are human in all aspects. They are descendants of the most radical wing of the Reformation and only adults take the vows of their church. Children are given the option of choosing their own church.
It is important to note that not all Amish youth are as rebellious as the ones seen in this film. Many do not participate in the Rumspringa and remain at home and join the church of their parents. The film documents just the young who choose to go through the rite and we learn that almost 90% stay in the church.
Lucy Walker made this understated film and it is the interviews with the adults that reveal the most intriguing aspects of the Amish way of life. The adults are relaxed and candid and do not come across as self-righteous people that we find in other religious conservatives. They condemn much about the outside world but they seem to do so by rote. Even though they have chosen not
to participate in the modern world, they do not judge those who do.
The film is very sober and thoughtful and quite provocative as it shows, with an objective lens, an unusual phenomenon.
DVD Review: "Rejoice Oh Young Man In Thy Youth" ~ Amish Kids Have The Best Parties
Summary: 4 Stars
Synopsis: The '02 documentary film `Devil's Playground' is a surprisingly revealing look behind the black hats, beards and bonnets of the Amish enigma as it focuses on five young adults during a transitional period called "rumspringa"( meaning: running around). The Amish believe baptism is only valid when one is old enough to make a rational, mature decision on their own.
Between the ages of sixteen and early to mid-twenties (it varies with the individual) is a time of experimentation when Amish young people are allowed to see how the rest of the world lives. They smoke, drink, drive cars, date non-Amish, take drugs and party. It is nothing short of a modern day "rites of passage" when each must decide for themselves to make the decision to renounce what the outside world has to offer and return to the community of believers, or leave behind everything they have known to embrace a new life.
The five who must decide their future are; Faron and his girlfriend Emma, Gerald, Velda and Joann. The camera follows them about on their daily activities as they reflect on the life in their community and the allure of the new world they have been recently thrust into. Who will return to and who will leave is the question that will keep you watching to the end.
Critique: The first thing I'd like to do is offer my congratulations to the producers of this film. How they ever attained to permission and Amish cooperation to make this documentary was quite an accomplishment. I consider myself an individual well versed in the field of religions but must admit to knowing almost nothing about the social and communal practices of this faith before watching this film. It was a real eye-opener. For some reason I never considered the possibility of an interim period like "rumspringa" to exist. I just assumed that youth just flowed into adolescence, then into adulthood without any special upheaval or chaos in-between. Yes some would leave the community occasionally but I would have never expected such a turbulent, chaotic time of experimentation and decision making. Little did I know.
`Devil's Playground' is definitely an informative and fascinating glimpse into the beliefs, life, and practices of the Amish. For that reason alone it is worth watching. If I were to point out any negatives in the production I would say 1- it's a little slow at times and easy to loose focus and 2- in my opinion they spent too much camera time on the drug dealing, crank addict Faron. I would have liked to see more of the others, especially the more articulate and introspective Velda.
Description of Devil's Playground
Devil's Playground explores the Amish ritual of Rumspringa, a coming-of-age "time for decision" presented to Amish youth when they must decide which path they will follow as adults... 16th century religious scripture or 21st century pleasure. "Sensitive, revealing and at times heart-wrenching." --Ad Crable, Lancaster New EraThis Sundance Festival sensation has attracted attention because of its jarring images of Amish kids immersed in debauchery: plain-dressed girls in white bonnets slugging back beers and flicking ashes from their cigarettes, boys passing out in the back of pickups after all-night parties, even Amish teens in bed together. But like a good drama, it's the characters themselves and their heartbreaking dilemma that linger in the mind. In the Amish vernacular, "Devil's Playground" refers to the "English" or outside world. The protected teens are suddenly thrust into this world upon their 16th birthday as they begin "Rumspringa," a period during which they decide whether to join the church as adults. Crystallizing this predicament is the 73-minute documentary's most compelling figure, 18-year-old Faron, a preacher's son fighting drug addiction. His earnest intent to return to the church and astonishing articulateness makes his misadventures in the drug underworld and penal system undeniably poignant. --Kimberly Heinrichs
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