PLAY World Cinema

Director Ruben Ostlund returns to AFI FEST (where his remarkably assured second film INVOLUNTARY appeared in 2008) with a fascinating and troubling look at race, ethics and group psychology . Based on actual events in Goteborg, Sweden, PLAY follows a group of black kids who manipulate another group of white and Asian teenagers with ambiguous intentions. Yannick and his pals lure the seemingly wealthier white and Asian friends out of the safety of a public mall, guiding them farther and farther into isolated wilderness. As the kids venture deeper down the proverbial rabbit hole, the mood grows ominous with potential violence . The would-be victims have many opportunities to run away , but never take them. Shooting entirely in long takes framed with dazzling formal rigor, Ostlund proves himself a master of cinematic space with this mysterious, at times funny, and ultimately disturbing film.