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Directors Pablo Cotten and Joseph Rozé’s feature debut Eternal Playground is set in a rather unbelievable backdrop. A group of adults furtively enter the premises of their elementary school during the summer vacations. Surprisingly, the large school has no security guard or housekeeper to gatekeep the property during the holidays.
The group’s agenda is to commemorate the recent passing of Louise, who happens to be the twin sister of Gaspard (Andranic Manet) – the plan-maker and a music teacher at the school. The friends, all with different careers, are meeting after a while although their affection for each other is strong and so are their fond memories about the deceased.
Starting with the film’s flip sides, Eternal Playground operates in a silo. It does not tell us what happened to each of them between childhood and the present day. This decision creates a disconnect in empathizing with each of them. Grief is a big part of the theme, but a little background would have let the story flourish. Another downer is the absence of support systems in the characters’ lives, especially Gaspard’s. Where is his fleetingly mentioned family? How did they cope with the loss? Didn’t Gaspard make any other friends in the interim? Similar questions can also be extended to his friends – the answers to which would have made Eternal Playground all the more flavourful.
The film works more at an intimate level. The adults, seemingly in their late 20s, unwind and reconnect. They do things they probably would have wanted to do in their school days – such as spraying the fire extinguisher. Their diverse professions, ambitions, attire, and curiosity for each other’s lives keep the ball rolling. This way, Eternal Playground makes sure it’s devoid of dull moments. The narrative is poetic and contemplative with soft, lingering strains of piano in the background. There’s a big reveal which does not come across as a shock. What is surprising, instead, is the lack of explanation on why the friends went out of touch in the first place despite not being too geographically distant.
The finale of Eternal Playground is something you see coming from a distance as the writers foreshadow it from the early reels. The solution to the predicament is light-hearted as all friends come together to let bygones be bygones. The performances are measured as each actor presents a diametrically different face from the other. Andranic Manet has a vulnerable face and the actor is even more impressive in the solo sequences. Alassane Diong, Carla Audebaud, Alba-Gaïa Bellugi, Nina Zem, and Arcadi Radeff are all able actors who get their moments to shine.
Eternal Playground makes for a frothy watch despite being centered around an event of grief. It brings back fond memories of innocent friendships that we forged in school – the memories of which tend to stay on for a lifetime despite the differences and lack of communication. The camaraderie between the key players is organic and the culmination is refreshing– making Cotten and Rozé’s film a poignant and engaging affair.
Rating: ★★★ 1/2
Eternal Playground was screened at the 2024 edition of the Tribeca Festival.
