PLAY

Sweden, 2011, 118 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Ruben Ostlund.

Ruben Ostlund, a now celebrated Swedish director, began by making short films as well as a feature which observed a range of characters moving around the city, no fixed narrative, a boy playing a guitar as a sometimes focus, more of an experience of a video installation rather than a narrative film, Gitarrmongen.

There is something the same method in this film, in the city of Goethe Berg, focusing on a group of youngsters, African immigrants, who spend their time in a mall, have a technique of confronting other children, wanted to steal their mobile phones, one of the group are sympathetic, the other threatening. This method is repeated several times throughout the film.

Suddenly there is a group of red Indians dancing in the mall and then adjourning to a restaurant. There is also a train moving throughout the city, a mysterious cradle getting in the way of people, the youngsters getting on and off the tram.

There is also a competition where the victim children have to give up all their belongings, compete in a race to see can be the fastest – and, of course, they lose everything.

At the end, one of the fathers accosts the African group, being violent towards them as they were in their bullying of the younger children.

Ostlund was to go on to make an award-winning Force Measure and then win the Palm door at Cannes The Square.


1. A Swedish slice of life? Contemporary cities? Children? Bullying? Authorities?

2. The work of the director, films of observation of people and activities?

3. Gotheberge, the city, the malls, public transport, the countryside? Sense of realism? Musical score?

4. The screenplay, focus on children in the mall, the gang, African background, immigrants? The target groups? Young children? Mobile phones? The activities, the threats, intimidation, thieving and bullying? The different groups of children, boys, on public transport? Out in the hills, the competition about who was the fastest? The aftermath and the parent confronting the boys?

5. Audience response to the children? The Swedish children? The African migrant children? Asian background boy with the cornet? The focus on boys?

6. Ordinary life at the mall, people passing by? The boys, the issue of mobile phones, accusations of stealing, the scratch on the phone? The technique of the gang, the friendly approach, the threatening approach, psychological games, the intimidation? The repeat of the approach with different children?

7. The hostile game, the members, their age, interactions, techniques? In public transport? The boy wanting out and the bullying?

8. Going out into the hills, the competition about who was the fastest, all the possessions in the heap, the boys losing everything? The fears, allowing themselves to be bullied?

9. The insertion of the entertainment group in the mall, Red Indians, full dress, the dancing and singing, having the meal?

10. On the tram, the issue of the cradle, in the way, the announcements? The boys seen with the cradle?

11. The later episode with the parents, the harsh treatment, bullying?

12. The postscript, the boy and his playing the music, the girl singing…?