Welcome to the politically correct world of Ruben Östlund. Welcome to multi-cultural Gothenburg. Welcome to the modern class-warfare.
Play is about a group of immigrants in Africa. They hang out in a shopping mall and select some kids for bullying. They claim that the kid's mobile phone has exactly the same scratches as those on the phone of his kid brother. Only that phone was stolen - so please prove that this is your phone. The Africans are from the beginning on the verge of mobbing. They play only one card - the victim's card with great virtuosity. The kids are from the beginning in the position of the loser. They are white, which means in this context that they are on the side of the privileged. The haves against the have-nots. So they have not much to counter the attack from the immigrant gang. Instead they try to de-escalate and to come out of the conflict on the terms of the aggressor. Of course, appeasement does not work in this context.
In Sweden they debated whether or not this film was racist or not. This is a devious debate, because this film is based on "true events". It must be possible to make a film about the actual happening reality without being accused as racist. Östlund tries to apply the persepective of an observer. The camera is static, observing with very few movements. So, no dramatic enhancement was intended. People go in and out of the range of vision. Sometimes you see only partially what is going on. This minimalistic approach goes on my nerves after some time. Looking out of a bus for two hours could be visually more interesting and rewarding than watching Östlund's film.
Then there is the ungainly last scene, when we see what would happen if the roles were switched. However, this scene is not enough to balance the imbalance we have seen.
Östlund has a inauspicious tendency to point didactlicy at the modern world. This film is almost designed to serve as a mirror for modern Swedish society. They may look into it and wonder, if they recognize themselves.
However, good intentions are not necessarily the recipe for a good film. Although I didn't expect a lot from it, I was amazed how awful this actually is. It is not taking up the "heritage of Tati and Haneke" as I read in a program note. Östlund joins the league of boredom, where he is in the company of Seidl and Loach.
2/10
Play is about a group of immigrants in Africa. They hang out in a shopping mall and select some kids for bullying. They claim that the kid's mobile phone has exactly the same scratches as those on the phone of his kid brother. Only that phone was stolen - so please prove that this is your phone. The Africans are from the beginning on the verge of mobbing. They play only one card - the victim's card with great virtuosity. The kids are from the beginning in the position of the loser. They are white, which means in this context that they are on the side of the privileged. The haves against the have-nots. So they have not much to counter the attack from the immigrant gang. Instead they try to de-escalate and to come out of the conflict on the terms of the aggressor. Of course, appeasement does not work in this context.
In Sweden they debated whether or not this film was racist or not. This is a devious debate, because this film is based on "true events". It must be possible to make a film about the actual happening reality without being accused as racist. Östlund tries to apply the persepective of an observer. The camera is static, observing with very few movements. So, no dramatic enhancement was intended. People go in and out of the range of vision. Sometimes you see only partially what is going on. This minimalistic approach goes on my nerves after some time. Looking out of a bus for two hours could be visually more interesting and rewarding than watching Östlund's film.
Then there is the ungainly last scene, when we see what would happen if the roles were switched. However, this scene is not enough to balance the imbalance we have seen.
Östlund has a inauspicious tendency to point didactlicy at the modern world. This film is almost designed to serve as a mirror for modern Swedish society. They may look into it and wonder, if they recognize themselves.
However, good intentions are not necessarily the recipe for a good film. Although I didn't expect a lot from it, I was amazed how awful this actually is. It is not taking up the "heritage of Tati and Haneke" as I read in a program note. Östlund joins the league of boredom, where he is in the company of Seidl and Loach.
2/10
