Hello class,
Devil’s Playground by Lucy Walker is a very gripping and very interesting documentary, intending to be a commentary on the dynamic and differences between the Amish and normal English life, showing how difficult it is to transition between the two, especially for the Amish.
I think out of all of the individual stories that were told through the main character’s journey (who I assume is Faron, considering how much of the documentary was spent following him), the side story with Velda struck me the most. Velda chose to leave the Amish faith, causing her entire family (and her village) to publicly shun her and cast her out, leaving her to the whims of English society.
This is probably the story that had the visual evidence stand out to me the most. You can somewhat compare it to the main story of Faron, which gave a very active, struggling story with a LOT of visual evidence to support his rebellious, English life and it’s many twists and turns. Velda’s story, on the other hand, while there was less time spent on it overall, it told a more matured and grounded history point of view, showing the lifestyle of someone who committed to leaving the Amish faith after having committed to it in the past. It creates a great dynamic between someone who had to live with their choice of leaving, versus a growing teenager who is still learning and has an opportunity to turn back from his decisions and stick with the Amish faith.
-Jeremy Sauter