Devil's Playground

In the Amish faith once a person reaches sixteen-years-old they are allowed to do something called "rumspringa" which loosely translates to "run free." The youth are allowed to experience the "English" world (non-Amish/non-Dutch world) and then decide if they'd like to get baptized and join the Amish Church, or leave the Amish community altogether.

"Devil's Playground" is about an Indiana Amish community and some of their youth experiencing rumspringa. I don't know if the youngsters shown are indicative of all Amish youngsters experiencing "rumspringa," but it sure was a wild scene. They were cutting loose and getting in as much partying, drinking, and vices as they could. The implication was that many of the Amish kids do that, get it out of their system, and then return to the slower more disciplined Amish lifestyle.

I thought the documentary was very informative and interesting, though it ran too long. After a while it focused on a few youth and was no longer about the Amish community anymore, but about some lost young adults who didn't know what they wanted to do with their lives. Perhaps the Amish tenets put them in that position by forcing them to decide between their friends and family and a whole wide unexplored world. It was quite the dilemma I'm sure.

I thought for sure that a movie about Amish-teenagers-gone-bad would be a series of images of Amish kids dressed in traditional garb drinking, getting high, and sleeping around. I expected it to be a spectacle which would get old fast, and I went into the movie with this bias. It turned out to be one of the best documentaries I've seen in a while. For one thing, the director had the perfect balance of showing a broad social situation (rebellious Amish kids in general) and a more character centered story (the drug addicted Amish youth Faron). You're getting the factual information you need, as well as the emotional punch of what Faron is going through. The director is able to show very clearly the effect of Amish society on these kids without ever forcing a direct connection or being exploitative.

I don't see how it could have been made any better.. I have actually "met" one of the girls on this documentary.. took me awhile to realize it was her.. I go to an Amish flee market every year in Shipshewana Indiana (where pieces of this were filmed.. Legrange County) The only people I "met" were the waitresses at Das Essenhaus.. (great restaurant).. I am actually surprised that I didn't see more of what is shown in this going on.. It is a very hard community to film.. many of them would not allow it..

One of the most interesting parts to me was when one of the guys was describing why they don't use technology.. I was always under the impression that they thought it was ungodly or evil.. but it's more a matter of taking away from the closeness of family.. \ I think this one is a must see.. it is well done, the kids are straight up and honest about what they are doing during this time.. and nothing seemed forced..

I saw this film by chance at a friends house and I was immediately sucked into it. It was interesting to learn about a group of people whom I knew existed but never heard much about. This documentary gave me a great appreciation for how these people live their lives,I personally could never live like that. Anyone interested in learning about Amish teenagers should watch this film. It is surprising how many similarities and differences there are between Amish teenagers, and the average American teenagers.

Lucy Walker presents a view into a community that is rarely glimpsed by outsiders. The Amish community, tightly knit as it is, has little use for the "English" world outside. I was very intrigued by the premise of a film following young Amish people through the rite of passage of Rumspringa, wherein they discover what kind of people they want to be, and decide whether to join the Amish church.

The view given by Walker is largely unbiased; she presents the viewer with a portrait of several Amish youths and their decisions to join the church or to remain in the english world. The film focuses mainly on Faron, a youth who has gotten himself into trouble with drugs, and she does not judge him or criticize him. Rather, we see his actions and are told of his choices, and are left to draw our own conclusions and wonder what will become of him.

I found this film to be quite well done, and unlike some of the other reviewers, I don't think it felt staged or stilted. I found myself thinking about it long after I'd seen it, and wondering what had happened to the people whose lives it followed.

I recommend this film, and feel that as a debut, it is quite an achievement. Some of the moments actually reminded me of Harmony Korine's work; it has a subtle air of discontent and uncertainty. Well done. ****/*****.