The Devil's Playground Review: A Documentary about Amish Rumspringa

The Devil's Playground is an in depth documentary of Rumspringa. This is the time when an Amish teenager goes out to live in the world before they decide if they are wanting to make a lifetime commitment to join the Amish Church. In this film, we "English" people (as we are dubbed by the Amish community) get to see what we never thought we could. Or is that would?

English parents seem to watch with the only repeated comment coming out of their mouths is "This is crazy". When English parents turn their children into the world, it is with high hopes that they become a drug-free, sexually responsible, hard-working citizen. Instead, what we are shown is the parent condoned time (or at least tolerated) for drug addictions, frequent couplings, parties and hung-over wasted kids.

A segment of this film could have been a documentary not related to the Amish community, but about alcohol, drugs and the teen addicts and sellers. We follow several young people as they grab the devil by the tail, so to speak. One young man however quickly becomes our focus. First the partying, then the meth addiction, then the meth selling, then trouble with the law, until he becomes a becomes a snitch for the police. At that time, he caused two dealers to be arrested and sent to jail. For that, people are trying to kill him. That alone would be enough to make English parents pull out their hair in worry.

This isn't the only dilemma faced by the teens. Each one has his or her own questions and curiosities, their hopes or fears. It is very interesting to watch as they work their way through them.

It is very noticeable that the girls tend to hang a little more tightly to the Amish tendencies. Even while the girls become drunk and/or drugged, and party till all hours of the night, the Amish dress is chosen instead of an English cocktail dress. The males tend to grasp the English way immediately- cars, clothes, video games and more. The only thing that both grabbed was the cell phone!

In the end however, we are shown as each teen decides if they want to join the Amish church. To join the church means so much more than it sounds like. A person has to literally give up some of their individuality in trade for security and comfort, to lay down their pride, vanity and free will in exchange for a lifetime guarantee of friendship. For all, it was a choice between heaven, hell and the unknowable.