Devil's Playground, the film

Devil's Playground is a very interesting documentary released in 2002 and directed by Lucy Walker about Amish teenagers. I never knew before that when an Amish adolescent reaches 16, he/she is set free to explore the world of the "English". They can leave home, dress in contemporary dress, drink, drug, have sex, party, and when they are ready, decide if they want to join the Amish church or not. This period of discernment and vision quest is called "rumspringa". It is a rite of passage during which a young person is allowed to explore the material world to determine whether they prefer to live in the world or the world of God.

"They live in a strict society, under tight control of their family and close-knit community. But when they turn 16, Amish teenagers are allowed the freedom to explore the customs of the outside "English" world -- including alcohol, drugs and sex -- before deciding whether to join the Amish church for life or leave the community altogether.

This tumultuous period, which the Amish call rumspringa -- the Pennsylvania Dutch word for "running around" -- is the focus of Devil's Playground, a documentary by filmmaker Lucy Walker, which premiers Thursday night on Cinemax.

"They can go to the mall, they can stay out all weekend long. There's no curfew," Walker tells Morning Edition host Bob Edwards. "Their parents are going to turn a blind eye to all kinds of stuff."

In making her documentary, Walker says she was shocked to find hundreds of teens from Amish settlements in 10 states congregating in "barn hops" and "hoedowns". "They all come together and there will be three fields filled with cars and horse and buggies... and these barns crammed with very drunk teenagers."

I highly recommend this film.

For an NPR review of this film click here.