To Play or to Die

"To Play Or Die" is an intense story about loneliness.

It is about Kees, an introverted boy who is constantly being picked on at school. Knowing his parents will be away for the day he has decided to invite Charel, one of the bullies to visit him at home after school. The DVD packaging says he is searching for revenge by doing this, but it's clear to me that Kees actually likes Charel.

During the day Kees endures a particularly humiliating experience in the school gymnasium locker room. Still, Charel does show up at Kees' home later on. It goes badly from the start and soon they get into a fist fight because Charel thinks Kees isn't manly enough.

After that, Kees goes completely berserk and self-destructs. I think that the reason for this is a combination of loneliness, self-hatred and frustration. It's a powerful film. I can't bring myself to watch it again. And I can't help thinking about it either.