Devil’s Playground documents the real life events in Amish teenagers’ lives during their rumspringa. At the age of 16 Amish teens are given the chance to experience the outside (non-Amish) world and decide if they want to live the rest of their lives as Amish.
After their period of rumspringa the vast majority (90%) decide to return to their church. This is not too surprisingly since many Amish communities practice shunning (excommunication). Families disown their children who decide to live in the “English” world. Church leaders teach that those on the outside culture are condemned to hell.
The documentary follows the lives of several Amish teens including Faron Yoder. Faron is shown experimenting in chrystal meth and tells about his experiences as a drug dealer. It is only after he is threated that he decides to go clean (for a time) so that he can narc on the other drug dealers.
Another older formerly Amish woman is shown talking about her depression which she says started around the time she turned 16. Ultimately she decided to leave the church so that she could attend college. (Amish have no education past the 8th grade; higher education is seen as prideful). When she left her church she was shunned and her family cut off communication of her in hopes that she would return to her Amish roots.
Having been restricted for the first 16 years of their lives, it is not surprisng that many Amish teens let loose and go wild during their rumspringa, moreso than a typical American teenager. Local police confirm that the wildest and largest parties are thrown by Amish youth. For Amish boys is means drinking in excess, driving cars, smoking, and sometimes experimenting with drugs. During rumspringa Amish boys tend not to wear their traditional Amish clothing, while the girls tend to keep their traditional bonnets and plain dresses. The movie shows the surreal scenes of Amish girls with bonnets at a drinking party and local concert.
The Amish truly live “off the grid.” Faron is shown hooking up a battery to his television so that he may play video games. An Amish home is shown, with gas lamps and 13 Bibles, but no television or electricity.
The Amish are very caught up in tradition especially with worship, sometimes to the point that the tradition itself becomes more important than the act of worship. For example, during Amish worship services, when a man reads from the Bible, the women turn their back to him and stare toward the wall. No one knows why they do this, not even the Amish themselves. Women explain its because their mother did it, while their mother’s mother did it and so on…
During the worship services men and women sit segregated from each other. You will be very unlikely to see an Amish church, as the Amish worship in houses and barns. Most Amish houses are built with a big basement to accomidate church worship services which might take place there from time to time. The film didn’t show Amish worship services and only showed a handful of Amish adults. Amish usually don’t want to be filmed.
Devil’s Playground is one of the few Amish related documentaries which I’ve seen. It is worth watching for viewers interested in the subject. The movie does contain strong language and shows scenes of drug abuse.