In this debut feature by writer-director Laura Wandel, the everyday reality of grade school is seen from a child’s-eye-view as an obstacle course of degradation and abuse. Following 7-year-old Nora and her big brother Abel, we see Nora struggling to fit in before finding her place on the schoolyard. One day, she notices Abel being bullied by other kids, and though she rushes to protect him by warning their father, Abel forces her to remain silent, while he endures more humiliation and harassment by his peers. Transposing the gritty realism of such filmmakers as Jacques Audiard and the Dardennes Brothers to the inner world of kids, Wandel crafts an empathetic and visceral portrait of the cruelty of children, and the failure of adults to protect them. Shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best International Film.
For in-depth thoughts on Playground, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:
Video Quality
Playground arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of Film Movement with a terrific 1080p presentation that pleasantly represents this film. The feature deploys a cool aesthetic that suits the melancholy nature of the narrative. Colors are consistently saturated with some deep colors coming through. Skin tones look natural, and there are some clear facial details present. Black levels hold tight with no crush observed, and highlights sidestep any issues of blooming. This is a contained film that explores the limited environments to nearly claustrophobic and intimate ends. There is a strong amount of detail in the clothing and production design. Compression artifacts and other digital anomalies are avoided throughout. The film looks excellent in high definition.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track in the original French (with optional English subtitles) that sounds wonderful. Dialogue is the focus of the feature as it emanates with confidence and clarity. There is also an effort to bring the sounds of the school yard to life with screams of laughter and general chatter. The track flourishes with subtle sounds flowing out of the speakers anytime characters move through a hallway. Environmental sounds come through well, and dialogue is crisp and clear without being clipped by the music or sound effects. There is some discrete texture in the low end, but the narrative does not lend itself to a bombastic soundscape. This track does everything it needs to do.
Special Features
- Les corps étrangers (Foreign Bodies): A 15-minute short film directed by Laura Wandel in which a man attempts to accept his new body through physiotherapy in a municipal swimming pool.
- Trailer (1:36)
- Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring the essay “A Wrench In The Machine – On Kindness and Cruelty in Laura Wandel’s Playground” by film critic Rafa Sales Ross in which she analyzes the film, the director, the themes, and more. The interior cover also has a brief statement from Film Movement about why they chose to release Playground, along with a statement from director Laura Wandel.
Final Thoughts
Playground is a tense and heartbreaking story of the helplessness and confusion that comes from being a child. The depictions of bullying are so convincingly executed and grounded that at times, you feel as if you are watching a horror film. It is astonishing how great the young performers in this film are as they effortlessly carry the weight of this narrative on their backs. The movie does not go overboard for easy shock value, but the realistic nature of the events is so unsettling that it is bound to linger with you. Film Movement has provided a Blu-Ray with a first-rate A/V presentation along with a good short film. Recommended
Playground is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Film Movement and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
