Movies: October 2005 Archives

I just finished watching "The Devil's Playground" a documentary about how Amish kids get the chance to experiment with living in the modern world before the are baptized as an adult. This period of time called "rumspringa" and is supposed to allow the teenager to come to their faith as an adult.

The movie was an interesting snapshot of Amish culture. The movie made me think a lot about the way I grew up. I was raised in a fairly conservative insular church; seeing these kids growing up in a culture that made my own upbringing seem libertine by comparision was eye opening. I was shocked that the film reported that some 90% of kids end up joining the amish church after they had spent gone through their wild period. I suppose that having your entire family shun you if you decide to walk away from church is a pretty strong incentive to stay amish.

I like the rumspringa concept a little. It might be wise to apply it sparingly to avoid lifelong consequences, but it is an interesting concept.

I liked the movie. It was thought provoking. I give it three and a half stars out of a possible five.

I'm becoming a independent film snob thanks to netflix, IFC, and the Sundance Channel.

I recently saw "Book of Love" on the Sundance channel. It is a pretty good example of the movies I seem to like now. It has great music, shows the complexity of relationships, relational sadness, connection & disconnection, longing and distance. The relationships displayed are so much more interesting and complicated than the ones often displayed in block-buster Hollywood films.