Pulling from the film, text, and our own personal experiences living in the Lancaster area, I think we can create a well-rounded understanding of what this film is all about. Here are a few questions I asked myself while I watched the film: 1. What presence did the filmmaker have in the film? Were they felt by the audience, and when were they felt? When were they not? Consider, too, the fact that the Amish do not want their picture taken. Does this change the filmmaker's presence? 2. How do you think this film plays into stereotypes and misconceptions? Living in the area, we see the Amish in daily life, but what do we actually know about them? Specifically look at Rumspringa. I myself did not know about Rumspringa until recently and only had a vague idea about it before watching the film. Does knowing about Rumspringa break any of your preconceived notions? 3. At one point, a man said that you were to forget those memories of Rumspringa when you go back to Amish life, and to not give in to the Devil's Playground. How can a person forget these memories and not think about the English life they lived for a couple of years? And knowing the English life (since we all live it) would you ever be able to "go Amish?" 4. In reference to the text what do you think about the character arc of Faron? We first see him in full swing of Rumspringa, then to him being a serious drug dealer with multiple death threats towards him, then him moving back to the Amish community (still during his Rumspringa), and then to Florida with Emma. Do you think this arc happened naturally or that the filmmaker influenced these changes, and if so how?
1) I didn't notice the presence of the filmmaker at first. A lot of the scenes (including the B-Roll shots of kids playing, fields) such as the partying scenes seemed organic, especially considering the low-light "night vision" that played into the idea of a sort of hidden camera. However, other scenes must have been deliberately created for the documentary, or at least heavily influenced by the presence of an outsider: the interviews with the subjects within the setting they're speaking about, the tour around their homes and workshops, the shunned girl (Velda?) trying on her old church bonnet and wedding dress for the camera. Being familiar with the Amish tradition of not appearing on camera, I was shocked at the amount of Amish who appeared (apparently consensual, since they were sitting directly in front of it) on camera, especially elders who are members of the church. I think the fact that they were willing to be filmed says a lot about the adaptation of the Amish to the 21st Century, and their willingness to publicly explore a difficult topic.
2) I wasn't really surprised by anything that was presented in the film, so I suppose by some sort of Lancastrian osmosis I've become pretty familiar with the Amish and Rumspringa. So maybe this is because I'm coming from a place of foreknowledge, but I felt like the film wasn't overly sensationalized-- some of the situations were horrible (the meth, the death threats, the depression), but they were presented without extraneous judgement from a VOG-narrator, or an abundance of shock statistics in the text track. In fact, a lot of these partying scenes were intercut with scenes of the elders remarking on how this is just a normal way of life for Amish teens, or the subjects themselves talking about how they may one day rejoin the church, and that this is just something that all of their friends do. What I don't think I was prepared for was the sadness-- the depression that a lot of the kids expressed, the frustration with the emptiness of what they think English life is like. I loved how this was contrasted with Velda, who moved past her depression and dared to leave the church to pursue a career, a college education. I would never want to "go Amish" for about a hundred reasons (number one probably being daily bathing), but I also cannot imagine trying to all of a sudden cannon-ball into the ocean of the secular world after being brought up in such an insular community, without a support system or perhaps methods of adjustment that might come with further education. Though I appreciated the hopeful tone of many of the story arcs, I found myself much sadder than I thought I would be.
One thing I noticed was that Amish life on the farm was not particularly romanticized. Being from Lancaster, I was tuned in to the different sort of landscape in Indiana - very flat and (dare I say?) rather uninteresting looking. The rolling hills of OUR area would appear absolutely gorgeous to a filmmaker and (I believe) be far more inviting to a viewer. Perhaps the filmmaker intentionally downplayed the landscape to partly explain the yearning of these youth to venture out. The train tracks by the trailer were prominently featured; the train keeps passing these teens by. Also, the train whistle in the middle of nowhere sounds almost ominous. In this film, Rumspringa brings the potential for a train wreck in their lives. And then later Faron crashes his car, and we have a car wreck on the racktrack. . . .
In response to #2: I wasn't very surprised by many things in this documentary. I've lived in Lancaster for almost ten years, and I work at Cocalico, so I'm familiar with Amish and Mennonite families and their practices. I was also in junior block at Pequea Valley (I will never forget this) when I found out that a horse and buggy carrying a bunch of Amish kids on Rumspringa crashed into the front of someone's house that morning!
I do show a clip of this film (the first six minutes or so) in my class and ask the students to compare it to how their view the Amish lifestyle that we see every day. They're fascinated by this, and then I tell them to think about being from Texas or Los Angeles or Vegas. If they had grown up in that area, they would have never seen an Amish person before (most likely, that I know of...) How would this documentary change or shape their opinions of what Amish life is like? They also always want to compare it to Amish Mafia-and they like to point out how confusing it would be to show this documentary and then Amish Mafia to people who don't know anything about the Amish lifestyle.
2. I felt that this film definitely played in to the stereotypes that I've heard about Rumspringa. I'm sure that kids do go wild and have crazy parties like they showed, but I also feel as though the film played up these extremes.
3. What really surprised me was the amish interpretation of what it means to be and "English" teen. While sex, drugs and alcohol are a part of the youth culture, it is not the whole part. I thought it was sad that they thought it was either that life or the amish life.
Sophia, I agree with you about playing up the extremes. The one shot of the morning after the party and all the kids are sleeping in their cars was over-the-top. I think the film gave the impression that nights like that are normal during a typical Rumspringa.
I don't know if I could ever go Amish. Could the English have a Rumspringa where they experience the Amish ways for a few years and then decide if they want to commit or not?
I think the film focused on the horrible aspects of Rumspringa-intoxicaction, loss of control, drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, etc. All memories you would want to forget. I think they tried to balance it out with Velda's story and her struggle with her individuality and her faith and family, but not enough to offer a balanced view of the two sides.
Faron's character arc was beautifully crafted (how much of it was true is TBD). He had everything viewers love- drug problems, identity issues, unfortunate luck and the love story with Emma. I think Velda's story could be just as compelling, but most of her scenes were poorly lit and her scenes were quick and the camera was stationary.
What is the form and function of Devil's Playground? What is the filmmaker's purpose for making this film?
Tanya I would agree with you, at the end of this I felt like I have been constantly lied to about the Amish. I felt like this partying was made to appear as it was the norm. That all Amish over 16 years old behave in this way. I did feel like the film permitted me to look in their culture and gain an understanding that I would not have been able to have. I felt the film makers presence with how the subjects answered questions, but I did not feel as if it was intrusive, more to clarify on a particular subject. I think you do have to "forget" those memories if not you will be tempted to relive those experiences again, thus leaving the Amish church, and breaking your promise to God.
1. I thought the filmmaker did an excellent job at blending into the film. Moreover, by choosing to maintain the integrity of the filming events by keeping them in what seemed to be the same order that was happening in reality, created a closer connection to the story line and maintain the realness. For example, when the drug incident happened with Faron and his girlfriend the filmmaker could have readily exposed that he was tied to the incident. Instead, she choose to play the story out, sort of like an unfolding of events by interviewing people and about 5-7 minutes after the event it was exposed that he was directly connected to the arrested that he was accused of. On the other hand, the filmmaker presence was heavily felt during scenes with Velda, sometimes with Velda, and with Emma. I would have enjoyed less talking because it began to replicate that of an interview style documentary.
There are definitely some stereotypes played up in this film, not just about the Amish, but about youth in general. For instance, there are many Amish youth who do not go absolutely crazy during their Rumspringa and simply explore and enjoy the experiences of driving a car, having a cell phone, going to the mall and rock concerts, and attending the occasional party where they drink a few beers with their peers. Not every Amish teenager/young adult is suffering from drug addiction or partying seven days a week or being promiscuous. I feel like the filmmaker was making a stereotypical statement about all youth and displaying it through the Amish. It was as if the filmmaker wanted the audience to think that every teenager and 20-something is engaging in similar behavior, which I think is misleading. Of course there will always be out of control youth, but there are also many who successfully balance their behavior. I also think we saw some reinforcement of Amish stereotypes and an insufficient portrayal of everyday Amish life. Although some Amish sects are strict and do not use almost anything electronic, many modern Amish have phones, frequent shopping centers, use gas and electric powered tools, have English people drive them places, and some (although I'm sure not most) even have limited electricity in their homes for lights and/or refrigeration. I also feel that the filmmaker did not show enough about the benefits and satisfaction of Amish life, and instead portrayed them as an exotic, partially "uncivilized" (or "unmodernized") other. The film made it seem almost impossible to stay Amish, when we know that this is not statistically the case. I think if I was raised Amish, my whole family was Amish, my friends were Amish, and I had the kind of security and support that is usually found within their community, I would probably stay Amish in the long run.
Pulling from the film, text, and our own personal experiences living in the Lancaster area, I think we can create a well-rounded understanding of what this film is all about. Here are a few questions I asked myself while I watched the film:
ReplyDelete1. What presence did the filmmaker have in the film? Were they felt by the audience, and when were they felt? When were they not? Consider, too, the fact that the Amish do not want their picture taken. Does this change the filmmaker's presence?
2. How do you think this film plays into stereotypes and misconceptions? Living in the area, we see the Amish in daily life, but what do we actually know about them? Specifically look at Rumspringa. I myself did not know about Rumspringa until recently and only had a vague idea about it before watching the film. Does knowing about Rumspringa break any of your preconceived notions?
3. At one point, a man said that you were to forget those memories of Rumspringa when you go back to Amish life, and to not give in to the Devil's Playground. How can a person forget these memories and not think about the English life they lived for a couple of years? And knowing the English life (since we all live it) would you ever be able to "go Amish?"
4. In reference to the text what do you think about the character arc of Faron? We first see him in full swing of Rumspringa, then to him being a serious drug dealer with multiple death threats towards him, then him moving back to the Amish community (still during his Rumspringa), and then to Florida with Emma. Do you think this arc happened naturally or that the filmmaker influenced these changes, and if so how?
1) I didn't notice the presence of the filmmaker at first. A lot of the scenes (including the B-Roll shots of kids playing, fields) such as the partying scenes seemed organic, especially considering the low-light "night vision" that played into the idea of a sort of hidden camera. However, other scenes must have been deliberately created for the documentary, or at least heavily influenced by the presence of an outsider: the interviews with the subjects within the setting they're speaking about, the tour around their homes and workshops, the shunned girl (Velda?) trying on her old church bonnet and wedding dress for the camera. Being familiar with the Amish tradition of not appearing on camera, I was shocked at the amount of Amish who appeared (apparently consensual, since they were sitting directly in front of it) on camera, especially elders who are members of the church. I think the fact that they were willing to be filmed says a lot about the adaptation of the Amish to the 21st Century, and their willingness to publicly explore a difficult topic.
Delete2) I wasn't really surprised by anything that was presented in the film, so I suppose by some sort of Lancastrian osmosis I've become pretty familiar with the Amish and Rumspringa. So maybe this is because I'm coming from a place of foreknowledge, but I felt like the film wasn't overly sensationalized-- some of the situations were horrible (the meth, the death threats, the depression), but they were presented without extraneous judgement from a VOG-narrator, or an abundance of shock statistics in the text track. In fact, a lot of these partying scenes were intercut with scenes of the elders remarking on how this is just a normal way of life for Amish teens, or the subjects themselves talking about how they may one day rejoin the church, and that this is just something that all of their friends do. What I don't think I was prepared for was the sadness-- the depression that a lot of the kids expressed, the frustration with the emptiness of what they think English life is like. I loved how this was contrasted with Velda, who moved past her depression and dared to leave the church to pursue a career, a college education. I would never want to "go Amish" for about a hundred reasons (number one probably being daily bathing), but I also cannot imagine trying to all of a sudden cannon-ball into the ocean of the secular world after being brought up in such an insular community, without a support system or perhaps methods of adjustment that might come with further education. Though I appreciated the hopeful tone of many of the story arcs, I found myself much sadder than I thought I would be.
One thing I noticed was that Amish life on the farm was not particularly romanticized. Being from Lancaster, I was tuned in to the different sort of landscape in Indiana - very flat and (dare I say?) rather uninteresting looking. The rolling hills of OUR area would appear absolutely gorgeous to a filmmaker and (I believe) be far more inviting to a viewer. Perhaps the filmmaker intentionally downplayed the landscape to partly explain the yearning of these youth to venture out. The train tracks by the trailer were prominently featured; the train keeps passing these teens by. Also, the train whistle in the middle of nowhere sounds almost ominous. In this film, Rumspringa brings the potential for a train wreck in their lives. And then later Faron crashes his car, and we have a car wreck on the racktrack. . . .
DeleteIn response to #2:
DeleteI wasn't very surprised by many things in this documentary. I've lived in Lancaster for almost ten years, and I work at Cocalico, so I'm familiar with Amish and Mennonite families and their practices. I was also in junior block at Pequea Valley (I will never forget this) when I found out that a horse and buggy carrying a bunch of Amish kids on Rumspringa crashed into the front of someone's house that morning!
I do show a clip of this film (the first six minutes or so) in my class and ask the students to compare it to how their view the Amish lifestyle that we see every day. They're fascinated by this, and then I tell them to think about being from Texas or Los Angeles or Vegas. If they had grown up in that area, they would have never seen an Amish person before (most likely, that I know of...) How would this documentary change or shape their opinions of what Amish life is like? They also always want to compare it to Amish Mafia-and they like to point out how confusing it would be to show this documentary and then Amish Mafia to people who don't know anything about the Amish lifestyle.
2. I felt that this film definitely played in to the stereotypes that I've heard about Rumspringa. I'm sure that kids do go wild and have crazy parties like they showed, but I also feel as though the film played up these extremes.
ReplyDelete3. What really surprised me was the amish interpretation of what it means to be and "English" teen. While sex, drugs and alcohol are a part of the youth culture, it is not the whole part. I thought it was sad that they thought it was either that life or the amish life.
Sophia, I agree with you about playing up the extremes. The one shot of the morning after the party and all the kids are sleeping in their cars was over-the-top. I think the film gave the impression that nights like that are normal during a typical Rumspringa.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I could ever go Amish. Could the English have a Rumspringa where they experience the Amish ways for a few years and then decide if they want to commit or not?
I think the film focused on the horrible aspects of Rumspringa-intoxicaction, loss of control, drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, etc. All memories you would want to forget. I think they tried to balance it out with Velda's story and her struggle with her individuality and her faith and family, but not enough to offer a balanced view of the two sides.
Faron's character arc was beautifully crafted (how much of it was true is TBD). He had everything viewers love- drug problems, identity issues, unfortunate luck and the love story with Emma. I think Velda's story could be just as compelling, but most of her scenes were poorly lit and her scenes were quick and the camera was stationary.
What is the form and function of Devil's Playground? What is the filmmaker's purpose for making this film?
Tanya I would agree with you, at the end of this I felt like I have been constantly lied to about the Amish. I felt like this partying was made to appear as it was the norm. That all Amish over 16 years old behave in this way. I did feel like the film permitted me to look in their culture and gain an understanding that I would not have been able to have.
ReplyDeleteI felt the film makers presence with how the subjects answered questions, but I did not feel as if it was intrusive, more to clarify on a particular subject.
I think you do have to "forget" those memories if not you will be tempted to relive those experiences again, thus leaving the Amish church, and breaking your promise to God.
1. I thought the filmmaker did an excellent job at blending into the film. Moreover, by choosing to maintain the integrity of the filming events by keeping them in what seemed to be the same order that was happening in reality, created a closer connection to the story line and maintain the realness. For example, when the drug incident happened with Faron and his girlfriend the filmmaker could have readily exposed that he was tied to the incident. Instead, she choose to play the story out, sort of like an unfolding of events by interviewing people and about 5-7 minutes after the event it was exposed that he was directly connected to the arrested that he was accused of. On the other hand, the filmmaker presence was heavily felt during scenes with Velda, sometimes with Velda, and with Emma. I would have enjoyed less talking because it began to replicate that of an interview style documentary.
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely some stereotypes played up in this film, not just about the Amish, but about youth in general. For instance, there are many Amish youth who do not go absolutely crazy during their Rumspringa and simply explore and enjoy the experiences of driving a car, having a cell phone, going to the mall and rock concerts, and attending the occasional party where they drink a few beers with their peers. Not every Amish teenager/young adult is suffering from drug addiction or partying seven days a week or being promiscuous. I feel like the filmmaker was making a stereotypical statement about all youth and displaying it through the Amish. It was as if the filmmaker wanted the audience to think that every teenager and 20-something is engaging in similar behavior, which I think is misleading. Of course there will always be out of control youth, but there are also many who successfully balance their behavior.
ReplyDeleteI also think we saw some reinforcement of Amish stereotypes and an insufficient portrayal of everyday Amish life. Although some Amish sects are strict and do not use almost anything electronic, many modern Amish have phones, frequent shopping centers, use gas and electric powered tools, have English people drive them places, and some (although I'm sure not most) even have limited electricity in their homes for lights and/or refrigeration. I also feel that the filmmaker did not show enough about the benefits and satisfaction of Amish life, and instead portrayed them as an exotic, partially "uncivilized" (or "unmodernized") other. The film made it seem almost impossible to stay Amish, when we know that this is not statistically the case. I think if I was raised Amish, my whole family was Amish, my friends were Amish, and I had the kind of security and support that is usually found within their community, I would probably stay Amish in the long run.