The Devil's Playground
Drama
Australia, 1953. Thirteen-year-old Tom Allen attends a strict Catholic seminary for boys administered by De La Salle Brothers. The adolescent students and their adult instructors struggle deeply with sexual repression and religious doubt.
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This film feels like a stifling, suffocating examination of repressed desires within a rigid institution. It's a heavy, somber experience that lingers, exploring the tragic consequences of enforced conformity and the pain of unexpressed feelings.
oppressivemelancholicintensesomberslow-burnarthouse dramaperiod piececharacter studyrepressed sexualityreligious dogmaloss of innocenceconformity
boarding schoolcoming of agemelbourne, australiacatholic schooldisciplinesemi autobiographical1950s
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