To Play or to Die
| Spelen of Sterven (To Play or to Die) |
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DVD cover
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| Directed by | Frank Krom |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Story by | Anna Blaman |
| Starring |
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| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Nils Post |
| Edited by | Sander Vos |
| Distributed by | Shooting Star Film Distribution BV |
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Release date
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1990 |
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Running time
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47 minutes |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Language | Dutch |
To Play or to Die (Dutch: Spelen of Sterven) is a 1990 Dutch gay-related psychological drama film directed by Frank Krom in his directorial debut and co-written by Krom and Anne van de Putte based on a story by Anna Blaman.
In this short motion picture, schoolboy Kees is intelligent, introvert and sensitive, but gets ridiculed verbally and physically at an all-boys school by mindlessly cocky class mates and even insensitive teachers, especially in gym, where his physical weakness is mercilessly abused to make him a defenceless laughing stock in front of his smirking peers. His awakening sexual interest goes to boys, and in particular to Charel, a beautiful athletic classmate who probably feels an undetermined interest but would never risk admitting (possibly not even to himself) having any gay or bi appreciation, least of all for a 'sissy', and thus remains unresponsive to shy Kees' overtures. When the hunk finally comes over to Kees' place while his parents are away, a desperate disappointment with a tragical twist is in the making.
While there are no critical reviews, the film received mixed reviews from audiences, holding a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 72 user reviews, with an average rating of 3.3/5.
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Wikipedia