Fred Schepisi’s film, The Devil’s Playground, is an intimate portrait of a thirteen-year-old boy and the Brothers, living within the confines of a Catholic seminary. It is also the story of the Brothers and how they cope wih the demands of their faith. Made in 1976, this semi-autobiographical film established Schepisi as one of Australia’s most talented directors and was one of the first Australian films to be selected for Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.
Christos Tsiolkas invites you into his twenty-five year journey of viewing, reviewing and re-imagining the film. He remembers his first illicit experiences of the film at age thirteen and describes how his views of it changed in later years. As he chronicles the impact of The Devil’s Playground on the development of his sense of self and his love of cinema, he also explores the film in terms of sexuality, politics, history and aesthetics.
Tsiolkas’ account of what The Devil’s Playground said, and didn’t say, to him is a passionate tribute to the power and possibilities of cinema.
