PLAY
In central Gothenburg, Sweden, a group of boys, aged 12-14, robbed other children on about 40 occasions between 2006 and 2008. The thieves used an elaborate scheme called the ‘little brother number’ or ‘brother trick’, involving advanced role-play and gang rhetoric rather than physical violence. Inspired by actual court cases, it portrays a group of black boys who rob a smaller group of white boys using a psychological game. The film was heavily debated in the Swedish press.
Ruben Östlund was born in 1974 and grew up on an island on the west coast of Sweden. He directed six feature films: The Guitar Mongoloid (2005), Involuntary (2008), Play (2011), Force Majeure (2014), The Square (2017) and Triangle of Sadness (2022). All of Östlund’s subsequent feature films premiered at Cannes, starting with his second. He won the FIPRESCI Award, Palme d’Or, as well as the Golden Bear. Moreover, he won the Nordic Film Prize, the most important Scandinavian prize. His fifth feature was also nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar.
Cannes Film Festival – Winner Séance “Coup de coeur”
Tromsø International Film Festival – Audience Award
Gijón International Film Festival – Best Director
Guldbagge Awards – Best Direction, Best Cinematography
Tokyo International Film Festival – Best Director
Nordic Council – Nordic Council’s Film Prize
Dublin International Film Festival – Dublin Film Critics Special Jury Prize
Titanic International Film Festival – Breaking Waves Award
PLAY (ff.)
Director: Ruben Östlund
Country: Sweden
Year: 2011.
Runtime: 118’
Language: Swedish
Cast: Anas Abdirahman, Sebastian Blyckert, Yannick Diakité
Production: Plattform Produktion, Coproduction Office
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PROGRAM LINE: RUBEN ÖSTLUND TRIBUTE