Östlund’s Play – Between Assault and Unease

What is it about?

This short section demonstrates that Ruben Östlund’s film Play combines the logics of assault (analysed in the first chapter) with those of unease (analysed in the second chapter). Furthermore, it argues that with Play Östlund attempts occupy the position of the ‘mythologist’ (Roland Barthes): he creates images that can trigger stereotypical readings (here: racist responses), but he also hopes the spectator will step back and engage with these images in a self-reflexive and critical way. The story of the film’s reception demonstrates how difficult this exercise is; it demonstrates how explosive the combination of ambiguity and controversial subject matter is.

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