''The Playground'' is a 2017

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by Edreace Purmul. The film was written by Purmul, Ramona Frye and Dean Mounir. It stars Myles Cranford,

Merrick McCartha Merrick McCartha is an American actor who appeared on television shows such as '' All American,'' ''Criminal Minds'', ''Rebel'' and ''Unstable''. His film credits include ''Anatomy of an Antihero: Redemption'', '' Failure!'', '' Hemet, or the La ...

, Shane P. Allen, Christopher Salazar and Ghadir Mounib. The film won Best Narrative Feature at the San Diego Film Awards and was distributed by Indie Rights.

Plot

The story follows Joseph, Grandison, Jack, Jill and Mr. Vaugn. Joseph is a priest grappling with his morals. Grandison is an eager bum down on his luck. Jack is a convict, married to Jill, his frustrated wife. Mr. Vaugn is a business man whose fortune is slipping away. They all struggle against their inner demons while crossing paths in a fable orchestrated by a dark entity.

Cast

*Myles Cranford as Old Homeless Man *

as Grandison * Shane P. Allen as Mr. Vaugn *Christopher Salazar as Joseph *Ghadir Mounib as Jill *Raye Richards as Hairdresser Coworker *Daniel Armand as Nameless Man *Lawrence R. Kivett as Jack *Kysha Hobbs as Shaman *Evan Henderson as Accountant * Jennifer Paredes as Auto Mechanic Clerk

Production

Purmul began writing the script in 2013, inspired by questions around mass shootings in America. He created his own version of the

Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...

based on archetypes from ancient fables and integrated it into the characters. The cast is mostly made up of

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

based actors. The film plays out like an

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

, observing five separate stories. Purmul says his elevator pitch for the film is '' Pulp Fiction'' meets '' The Devil's Advocate.''

Release

The film released on October 21, 2017. It was distributed by Indie Rights.

Reception

Critical response

Richard Propes of The Independent Critic says that Purmul has "crafted a film of tremendous vision and intentionality," scoring it 3 out of 4. Don Shanahan at Every Movie Has a Lesson admits "it is a film to respect more than enjoy" scoring the film 3 out of 5 stars. Shirley Rodriguez at Independent Film Now said "the true playground we discover is the world itself and its inhabitants."

Accolades

The film won Best Narrative Feature Film at the San Diego Film Awards in 2016.

References

External links

*
Original screenplay
by Edreace Purmul * *
Trailer
on

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Playground, The 2017 films American independent films Films set in San Diego Films shot in San Diego 2017 independent films 2017 thriller films American thriller films The Devil in film American anthology films Films about Catholic priests Films about homelessness Films about marriage Films about infidelity Films about abuse Films about criminals Films about businesspeople Films about accountants Films based on fables Demons in film Hyperlink films Films produced by Rebecca Reyes English-language thriller films