The Playground Factory

Author(s): Bryce

Location: LA

"The Playground Factory"

Directed by: Roland Joffé
Written by: Ron Nyswaner and David Mamet
Produced by: Arnon Milchan, Terry George, and Edward Saxon

Main Cast

Stellan Skarsgard as Daniel Travis
Lorraine Bracco as Meryl Travis
Bobby Coleman as Michael Travis
Ato Essandoh as Tomah Borforh
Djimon Hounsou as Luogon Togar

Tagline: "The playground of kids, the playground of fathers, the playground of death"

Synopsis: Daniel Travis is a drunk, con-artist, ass-wipe, and, surprisingly, a father. He wasn't always like this. Just three year ago he was a traveling archaeologist, and traveled all across the world with his wife and son. But eventually his wife, Meryl, got a divorce, and Daniel lost custody of his son, Michael. Today, among the many dirty things that happen in his life, the one thing he always looks forward to is the weekends he gets to spend with his child. Michael would always call his father on Friday, and spend the entire weekend with his father; enjoying quality bonding time. However, one weekend Michael doesn't call, and then another weekend goes by without a call. Daniel drives to Meryl's house to visit Michael in person, but nobody is home.Weeks turn into months, until Daniel finally receives a call. However, this call wasn't from his son. It was from Tomah Borforh, a good friend he and his son once met in Liberia. Tomeh works at one of the few factories that uses child labor in Liberia, and has been trying to reach Daniel in order to tell him his son is working at the factory, and he now belongs to the company.

Without a moment's notice, Daniel urgently travels, legally and illegally, to Liberia where he meets up with Tomeh. After seeing his son with his own eyes, he finds out that his wife, Meryl, had sold their son to the company, and he is now forced to work there. Daniel tries to reason with the head supervisor of the factory, Lougon Togar, but Lougon proves to be an intimidating person to bargain with. As Daniel sits in the broken down home where Tomah lives, he can't help but feel this is all his fault. He feels the need for redemption, and feels the need to get his son out of this place no matter what the risk may be. With the help of Tomah, Daniel sneaks into the factory, and kidnaps his son.

While getting out of the country will be hard enough, Lougon has hired mercenaries to get the child back, and kill Daniel at all cost. This is the story of Daniel Travis, the father that will take dire risk, kill men, cause mass destruction, and sacrifice everything, just to get his son back home safely.

What the Press would say:

After a string of bad to mediocre films it looks like Roland Joffé has crafted his best film since "The Mission" and "The Killing Fields". However this film actually surpasses both films on many levels. "The Playground Factory" takes a deep dive into the dark world of child labor, while presenting a theme that dives deep into the psyche of fathers and their love for their child.The end result is a film that comes off with much passion, heart, and grittiness, but also has elements that will entertain just about everyone. The second act elegantly sets the audience up for one of the best third acts in a movie I've seen in awhile. It's intense, it's emotional, it's edgy, it's a work of art. You'll be on the edge of your seat, but also engaged and connected with the characters.

Stellan Skarsgard has had a few good to great performances in the past, but his role in this movie blows all of them out of the water. As Daniel Travis, Skarsgard is able to successfully embody a unique character, with passion in his eyes and sorrow in his heart. It was a challenging and dynamic role, that if done wrong could of ended his career, but Skarsgard pulls it off, and to a degree that I wouldn't have thought he could reach. Ato Essandoh, the relatively unknown actor, did an amazing job as Skarsgard's cautious and caring companion. He's a very likeable character, and his motives are in the right place. Djimon Hounsou is also a delight. It's fun seeing him in a very villainous role for a change, and he's just down right evil in this film. Lorraine Bracco also does a good job at playing an even more un-likeable character. She plays the mom that sold her son into child labor. She may only have about six to seven scenes in the film, but the actual scene that shows her selling her child is powerful, and hard to watch if your a parent.

"The Playground Factory" is one of the best movies of the year. It's masterfully crafted, with some top of the line acting from all players. It's a film I think a lot of people will like, including critics and the general movie going crowd. I think it's safe to say this movie's powerful essence will be felt all the way to the upcoming Oscars.

Best Picture
Best Director- Roland Joffé
Best Actor- Stellan Skarsgard
Best Supporting Actor- Ato Essandoh
Best Supporting Actor- Djimon Hounsou
Best Supporting Actress- Lorraine Bracco
Best Original Screenplay- Ron Nyswaner and David Mamet
Best Cinematography
Best Sound Mixing
Best Film Editing
Best Original Score
Best Art Direction
Best Visual Effects