Playground (15)
Directed by Laura Wandel
 

THE humiliation and abuse children can face as they navigate the dangerous jungle of school life is captured to poignant effect in this brutally raw and honest debut feature by Laura Wandel.

Shot entirely from the point of view of its young protagonists, it follows seven-year-old Nora (Maya Vanderbeque) as she starts primary school, crying and hugging her older brother Abel (Gunter Duret) for dear life on her first day; he promises her that everything will work out.

When she witnesses him being bullied by other kids she tries to protect him, but he forces her to keep quiet. However, as the bullying escalates from him having his head repeatedly dunked in the toilet to being locked in a rubbish bin, she feels compelled to take action, which just makes things worse.

It is a heartbreaking drama which took me right back to my days being bullied on the playground, which here represents a microcosm of the outside world. Children are exceedingly mean and judgemental, as Nora finds herself being ostracised by her new-found friends because they deem her brother a loser and persona non grata. 

They also question and belittle her father (Karim Leklou) for being unemployed (this is never explained) and clearly an at-home dad, unlike their parents. From being happy to see him, Nora becomes embarrassed as she starts grilling him about his status, while he finds himself powerless to help his children as he is locked out of the school, which has been turning a blind eye to the violence and bullying.

Newcomer Vanderbeque gives an extraordinary and nuanced performance as Nora, who slowly transforms from a shy and quiet child into a confident and self-assured little girl who rejects her brother in order to be accepted by the other kids. Duret is equally impressive as Abel, transforming from bullied to bully.

It is an insightful and thought provoking drama which ends as it started, with the mesmerising Vanderbeque as Nora crying and hugging her brother after saving him — but she now mentally older and wiser.

In cinemas April 22