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IMDbPro

Play

  • 2011
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
6.9K
YOUR RATING
Play (2011)
Trailer for Play
Play trailer1:25
1 Video
10 Photos
Drama

Between 2006-2008 in Gothenburg, Sweden, boys aged 12-14 conducted ~40 child robberies using a scheme called little brother number, relying on role-play and gang talk instead of violence.Between 2006-2008 in Gothenburg, Sweden, boys aged 12-14 conducted ~40 child robberies using a scheme called little brother number, relying on role-play and gang talk instead of violence.Between 2006-2008 in Gothenburg, Sweden, boys aged 12-14 conducted ~40 child robberies using a scheme called little brother number, relying on role-play and gang talk instead of violence.

  • Director
    • Ruben Östlund
  • Writers
    • Erik Hemmendorff
    • Ruben Östlund
  • Stars
    • Anas Abdirahman
    • Sebastian Blyckert
    • Yannick Diakité
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    6.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ruben Östlund
    • Writers
      • Erik Hemmendorff
      • Ruben Östlund
    • Stars
      • Anas Abdirahman
      • Sebastian Blyckert
      • Yannick Diakité
    • 22User reviews
    • 43Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 9 wins & 13 nominations total

    Videos1

    Play
    Trailer 1:25
    Play

    Photos9

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    Top cast43

    Edit
    Anas Abdirahman
    • Anas
    Sebastian Blyckert
    • Sebastian
    Yannick Diakité
    • Yannick
    Sebastian Hegmar
    • Alex
    Abdiaziz Hilowle
    • Abdi
    Nana Manu
    • Nana
    John Ortiz
    • John
    Kevin Vaz
    • Kevin
    Jacob Ottander
    • Pojke i köpcenter
    Herman Troeng
    • Pojke i köpcenter
    Tobias Åkesson
    • Tågvärd
    Peggy Johansson
    • Tågvärd
    Humberto Guandinango Espinosa
    • Panflöjtsbandet
    Luis Alonso Tuquerez
    • Panflöjtsbandet
    José Jaime
    • Panflöjtsbandet
    Patricio Cotacachi
    • Panflöjtsbandet
    Rodrigo Cotacachi
    • Panflöjtsbandet
    Alfredo Cahuasqui
    • Panflöjtsbandet
    • Director
      • Ruben Östlund
    • Writers
      • Erik Hemmendorff
      • Ruben Östlund
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    7.16.9K
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    Featured reviews

    7Farzad-Doosti

    Prediction of the death of Europe in 2011

    Seeing this movie in 2025 offers a truly unique experience. Watching Play now, you can clearly sense the death of culture and the fragile peace of European nations reflected in its story. The film's unsettling realism hits harder in today's context, making you question how much has changed-or hasn't-since it was made.

    As a foreigner, I found the cafe owner's reaction fascinating yet frustrating. When he simply said, "Please call the police," it felt like he was brushing off a serious issue, reducing it to a formality. My impression was that he'd never faced such problems before and had no clue how to handle them. This helplessness seems woven into the film's fabric-it's so realistic that I had to remind myself this might just be the nature of their society, not an exaggeration. It left me wondering: if a child walked into a cafe in 2025 with the same desperate request, would people still respond so passively? Or would the events in Europe over the past few years-rising tensions, social shifts-push them to act differently, to actually help?

    The film also digs into deeper ideas. A society that tramples its own values and then gets attacked doesn't deserve pity-it needs to confront the oppressor head-on. Play shows this through subtle moments, like the bureaucracy on the train. That scene stuck with me: the train conductor, trapped by rules, can't make a simple decision. It's a perfect metaphor for how systems enslave people, stripping away their ability to act freely or morally.

    Visually, the cinematography is striking. The long, steady shots create a cold, almost documentary-like feel, forcing you to sit with the discomfort. It's not a film that spoon-feeds you answers; it demands you think. Looking back, I appreciate how it balances art and social commentary without preaching. It's a slow burn, but one that lingers.
    8TheKing2

    Haneke at his best

    But not from Michael Haneke (The Piano Teacher, Funny Games) but from Ruben Östlund, Sweden. A toe-curling story that takes plausible after plausible step into the absurd. Sometimes too hard to watch. No happy endings here. Instead at the end the director chooses to open the fourth wall and suddenly turns fiction in a horrible truth and shows his true feathers as a clear racist.
    7alex-la7

    Immigrant violence and the frustration of everyday people

    This is a really good movie that challenges our perceptions about class, age, and ethnicity. What I appreciate is that Östlund dares to tackle this difficult subject without moralizing or even trying to justify what the immigrant gang is doing. Instead, the director portrays a grim reality that many people today live in, thereby challenging society's attitude towards these violent youth gangs. The argument that erupts at the end between the father and some woman captures the frustration everyday people currently experiences in a brilliant way. Unfortunately, what brings the film down is the boring cinematography. I understand that Östlund wants to come across as a bit arty and artistic, but please, let go of Roy Andersson's mind-numbingly dull style! It drags the pace down to a painfully slow level. However, with that said, I will still recommend this movie as watchworthy. Few directors even dare to touch this theme after all!
    6paul2001sw-1

    Interesting but unnecessarily slow

    Teenage boys can be horrible: watching 'Play' brought back shuddering memories from my own childhood. In 'Play', the horror is made more interesting by being set against a background of differential affluence and a racial divide; the fine line between "play" and pure bullying is also nicely explored. But it's a slow film, with no rapid cutting or background music: indeed, it's shot in a strange manner with static cameras often leaving part of the subject (or even parts of the subjects, heads for example) off screen. The result gives you the feeling of an by-stander, overhearing parts of somebody else's story; eventually, the tension builds, but it feels like a deliberately off-putting way to make a movie. At the end, I didn't know quite what to think about it: one can alternatively feel repelled by, and sympathetic to, its protagonists, but the surely intentional absence of a clear moral or emotional message means the film ends nowhere. Perhaps we're meant to leave this movie pondering matters of class and race; I left it just glad I'm not fourteen any more.
    8dakjets

    Parallel societies

    Ruben Østlund is one of these filmmakers who make timeless films. Play is one of these, a film from 2011. More current than when it was made. Østlund depicts a parallel society with children and young people. Here, the strongest right applies, and an eerie world is depicted. And around various forms of abuse of power and coercion, there are no adults who are capable of intervening. Does this sound familiar considering all the unrest in Sweden and other European countries today? With gangs and young criminals who commit serious crimes. This kind of thing starts somewhere, as this film depicts. As one of the very few, Østlund also dares to address integration and what can happen when it is not successful. Frighteningly good this one.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Inspired by actual court cases, it portrays a group of black boys who rob a smaller group of white boys by means of a psychological game.
    • Connections
      References L'Arnaque (1973)
    • Soundtracks
      The Entertainer
      Written by Scott Joplin

      Performed by John Ortiz

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    FAQ16

    • How long is Play?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 11, 2011 (Sweden)
    • Countries of origin
      • Sweden
      • France
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • Swedish
    • Also known as
      • Hra
    • Filming locations
      • Goteborg, Sweden(location)
    • Production companies
      • Coproduction Office
      • Coproduction Office
      • Film i Väst
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $103,990
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 58m(118 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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