To Play or to Die (1990) User Reviews

Mood Piece

[harry-76 · 7/10 · 29 April 2000]

To fully appreciate this short film (40 minutes) one has to closely identify or empathize with its young hero. This lad is quiet, intense, and emotionally not the most stable of personalities. He focuses his attention on a significant other -- a student in his class with a contrasting personality. This results in a conflicting relationship, leaving the young hero distraught to the point of being suicidal.

It's not a very optimistic short story told here, yet one which creates a definite mood and sustains interest throughout its brief running time. Very well acted, "To Play or Die" is a minor effort, noteworthy for its unusually short duration. There are not many short stories filmed with running times of under 45 minutes, that are independent and not part of any kind of series.

fuller translation of the French class

[mad-69 · 5/10 · 25 June 2006]

On the VHS version I saw, only the Dutch words spoken during the French class were translated into the English subtitles. And if even if other versions do translate the French, it would be really hard to do it justice.

The French class scene would have been really hard to follow if I were relying on the subtitles. Early on, Charel copies or borrows Kees's homework. The sentence the teacher asks Charel to read aloud (and praises because another boy has mispronounced it) translates as "It is worth it for me to do my own work." The teacher clearly has it in for Kees. She purposefully makes him translate aloud the sentence "I follow a blind ass." Kees is a dutiful good student and doesn't realize (the way the teacher must) that he will be making an ambiguous statement in French sort of like "I see Uranus" in English is also "I see your anus". "I follow" in French sounds the same as "I am". So all the other kids laugh at him because the teacher has just made Kees say, "I am a blind ass."

Intense, worth a watch

[IanRusk · 7/10 · 12 January 2015]

A gay film from 1990 made in the Netherlands that was one of the first gay films I have seen. I don't see it on many watchlists or talked about much so I consider it obscure. Fairly short film but very intense and very well made. Illustrates the loneliness and victimization of gay teen, especially prior to the 2000s. Story involves Kees who attends an all-boys school where bullying is the norm. Kees has a secret crush on Charel, one of the bullies. The bullies torment Kees in the lockerroom at school one afternoon, forcibly stripping him of his underwear as they mock him. Kees later devises a plan of revenge (or is it?) in which he invites Charel over. A fairly intense ending to a glimpse into the life of an introverted gay teen male. Parental advisory: full frontal of Kees in the locker room scene where he is stripped by bullies. Geert Hunaerts does an outstanding job as the tormented youth Kees. Worth a watch.

A Universal Story About Loneliness

[David Stetler · 13 September 2001]

"To Play Or Die" is an intense story about loneliness.

It is about Kees, an introverted boy who is constantly being picked on at school. Knowing his parents will be away for the day he has decided to invite Charel, one of the bullies to visit him at home after school. The DVD packaging says he is searching for revenge by doing this, but it's clear to me that Kees actually likes Charel.

During the day Kees endures a particularly humiliating experience in the school gymnasium locker room. Still, Charel does show up at Kees' home later on. It goes badly from the start and soon they get into a fist fight because Charel thinks Kees isn't manly enough.

After that, Kees goes completely berserk and self-destructs. I think that the reason for this is a combination of loneliness, self-hatred and frustration. It's a powerful film. I can't bring myself to watch it again. And I can't help thinking about it either.

Intense

[stef-decloe · 8/10 · 4 December 2013]

A very beautiful movie, very intense. The two boys were 18 at the time of filming (1990, both born in 1972). They both did a very excelling performance.

The colors are beautiful, the filming is excellent. The "light" is superb…

Some situations are so recognizable, and so understandable.

The issue of the situation is shocking, but that is what movies are made for…

This 45 minutes short is like watching a "full" movie", and raises many questions.

I enjoyed it very much. PS, If ever there was a question of "revenge": do a "google pictures" for both actors… :-)

A bit slow, but beautifully made with a poignant story.

[johannes2000-1 · 9/10 · 21 February 2019]

Taken into account that this movie dates from 1990, it is a, for that day and age, interesting and bold film about gay sexual awakening, identity and harassment.

Young and sensitive Kees is frequently harassed at high-school, with handsome Charel being the most outspoken bully. In spite of this, Kees secretely has a crush on him. At some point Kees invites this bully to his home under the pretense of wanting to help him with his homework, in fact just wanting to show himself off. Then things quickly go awry, and Kees has to deal with the devastating consequences, up to an ultimate point.

The film is beautifully made, with sensitive photography, and the acting of the two young boys, especially Kees (Geert Hunaerts) is excellent. Although the running time is only 45 minutes (a bit awkward, not a full feature film but maybe too long to be called a short) there are many memorable moments and images that subtly but poignantly tell the story and reveal the inner turmoils of Kees.

Sure, this movie is slow, and maybe the ending is a tiny bit too melodramatic for modern taste, but it makes its point in a very impressive way, and with that it's as actual now as it was back then.

This psychological drama is appealing, tragic, and fascinating.

[imdbJay · 14 January 2004]

I agree with other comments that Kees is not seeking revenge, as stated on the DVD jacket, but that Kees is deeply in love with Charel. The movie is a psychological study of a young boy unable to deal with his emotions and unable to express his feelings. One of the most striking moments in the movie could easily escape notice: when the boys are headed outside for exercise, Kees finds himself falling further behind and, to his dismay, calls out to Charel for no apparent reason. This deeply-felt, yet unexplainable reaction speaks volumes. He longs for, but cannot attain the object of his desire. The distance of a few feet sends distress signals throughout him, so that he is unable to control his reaction. Charel is equally unable to deal with the feelings he suspects Kees has for him; he responds not with compassion and understanding, but with rejection and defiance.

The acting is compelling and the characters are appealing. I watched this short film more than once and was fascinated with the nuances of expression and the dynamics of the contrasting main characters. I found it easy to relate to the characters and a social situation that precludes the natural expression of certain emotions. Although some technical aspects of the film could be improved, the subject and its impact are masterfully presented.

Cinematic Poem

[apioneer · 9/10 · 3 August 2023]

This film is fascinating. I kept expecting the little hero to stand for himself and I wanted the little hero to teach the bully a lesson. But it is way deeper than that. Kees tries. The world is full of bullies and he is just a little guy who is trying to understand and does not know what to say or do in these situations. Kees can't defend himself. I wish his parents would teach him how to defend himself. Film is very deep and makes you think abut emotions and feelings and touches you inside. This film took me back into my own childhood for a moment to relive the memories. Emotions and feelings are so complicated and it takes us years to understand ourselves. This film is a beautiful cinematic poem and its so heartbreaking.

unspoken things

[Kirpianuscus · 29 December 2022]

It is a great film. Honest, direct, powerful, cold . A film about things easy remain unspoken. Because are too bitter, cruel, sharp, too often present in near reality.

It is the film of admirable young Geert Hunaerts. His work is just impressive, served, off course, by inspired cinematography and wise used details.

In same measure,Tjebbo Gerritsa offers a beautiful portrait of a sort of vulnerability, powerful fears, covered in rude brutality , the suspicion being more about his Charel than Kees.

The final is perfect , and you can feel this.

The theme of film is profound personal. Sure, bullying, sensitivity, gay desire, indifference of teachers or indifferent parents, a teenager living in his universe are fair definitions but none works too well.

Indeed, it is a film about specific of an age but, in same measure, it is more that. A pledge , a warning, a manifesto ? Maybe ! But it is a magnificent exploration of old and hidden things living, decade by decade, maybe entire life, in us.