Devil's Playground explores the Amish ritual of Rumspringa, a coming-of-age "time for decision" presented to Amish youth when they must decide which path they will follow as adults... 16th century religious scripture or 21st century pleasure. "Sensitive, revealing and at times heart-wrenching." --Ad Crable, Lancaster New Era
As one who has lived around the Amish for most of my life, I am ashamed at how little I actually know about them. They are secretive and private and their 16th Century lifestyles are a mystery to me. I even have a good friend who used to be Amish and yet I find it way too easy to over generalize my peace loving neighbors.
It was with great interest that I first watched Devil's Playground and have since used it multiple times in classes. Like many documentaries, it takes us behind the scenes and shows an aspect of Amish life that we may hear about but of which we know little: Rumspringa, the time when Amish teens are given permission to run wild before they decide to either join the church or leave and be shunned.
Filmmaker Lucy Walker uses a grainy, shadowy style of filming to create an air of mystery to a two year case study of several Amish teens who are in different stages of this phase of their lives. We never see the director, yet we occasionally hear her earnest questions. The eerie music and straightforward interviews help the viewer connect to each teen and to anguish with them in their decision making and shifts from a wild life to the tame adult responsibilities some of them choose.
We are shocked by the wild parties (sex, drugs, and so much more...) We sympathize with their plight of wanting to be with their families and yet enjoying a much more decadent lifestyle. The filming is sensitive and revealing and it opens up lots of discussion.
As with any documentary, it is important to consider the other sides of this story. Truth is, less than 10% of Amish youth leave the church and, though these wild parties do occur, they do not occur as often as it may seem from this film. This film raises lots of questions about how prevalent these depicted activities are. It also makes one wonder how effective this practice is in keeping Amish adults faithful to their church. It also brings up the issues of shunning and shaming that are at the core of this church's practice. I also wonder just how long these practices will continue.
Students enjoy the story and the way its told. They get fired up and love to discuss the rules their parents give them and ways they rebel and yet how they often come around to their parents' decisions in the end. They really get the search for identity that they see these Amish teens struggle with. I think they are surprised with how wild the Amish teens can be and see how tame their own lives are in comparison. It leads to all sorts of engaging conversations about ways we develop our identities that do or do not include our families.
Documentary Ratings:
1. Storytelling: 9/10
2. Cinematography 8/10
3. Deeper Meaning 9/10
4. Targeted Audience: Teens and Young Adults or anyone curious about the Amish
5. Connections to other works and/or ideas: Coming of Age, Identity, Could connect this with Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible or Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.
6. Quality of Research 8/10
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