Rent Playground (2021)
3.8 of 5 from 149 ratings
1h 12min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Nora (Maya Vanderbeque), an anxious 7-year-old, must return to school despite her distress and longing to stay with her dad. Despite Nora's age, she soon becomes responsible for her older brother, Abel (Günter Duret), who is being tormented by the other kids. This puts Nora in a quandary - should she tell the adults or remain silent out of solidarity with her brother? Once Nora discovers Abel soaking wet, she feels compelled to take action, but just makes things worse. The authorities at school generally turn a blind eye, and her father remains powerless, kept at a distance from the confines of the school. An eventual confrontation between Nora and Abel leads to a startling climax.
- Actors:
- Maya Vanderbeque, Günter Duret, Lena Girard Voss, Simon Caudry, Thao Maerten, James Seguy, Naël Ammama, Émile Salamone, Karim Leklou, Laura Verlinden, Laurent Capelluto, Sandrine Blancke, Monia Douieb, Michel Israel, Sophia Leboutte, Muriel Bersy, Kylian Decorne, Anne-Pascale Clairembourg, Marie-Christine Georges
- Directors:
- Laura Wandel
- Producers:
- Stéphane Lhoest
- Voiced By:
- Jean-François Ravagnan
- Writers:
- Laura Wandel
- Aka:
- Un Monde
- Studio:
- New Wave Films
- Genres:
- Children & Family, Drama
- Countries:
- Belgium
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Reviews (1) of Playground
Foreshadowed Lessons: Childhood at Eye Level - Playground review by griggs
The first anxious days of school come rushing back in Playground, with all their dread, confusion, and whispered alliances. Nora’s-eye view—literally at her height—is a cracking device: corridors loom, classrooms intimidate, and every playground slight feels seismic. The child acting is superb, startlingly natural without ever tipping into stagey precocity.
The direction nails atmosphere, but the story is another matter. The ending is signposted so aggressively it may as well arrive with flashing lights and a marching band. By the halfway mark, you know exactly where you’ll be dumped off, and the final stretch becomes less suspense than waiting-room tedium. Seventy-two minutes feels like a blessing, not a constraint.
As a portrait of childhood unease, it stings. As a piece of storytelling, it plays its hand far too soon.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.