Come Out and Play (Makinov, 2012): Mexico

Reviewed by Yuichi K. Viewed at Chinese 2, AFI Fest 2012

People are always with generations. Each person belongs to culture climate, and each kid also is with his or her innocence. This human nature is with the permanent repetitions. Come Out and Play, directed by Makinov, breaks and shows about this historical aspects.

On the festive days, Francis and Beth, a couple, decide to stay their vacation near the beautiful beach. They take a ride on the small boat, and reach the peaceful pier. There are only some blunt fishing children. Francis and Beth doubt for the attitudes. They calmly walk into the village and step to their small hotel, but nobody is there. Francis and Beth think strange for this situation. When Frances witnesses a kid kill an old man, the fearful battles start. At a glance, the small white village is the last resort in the world. However, the hysteric youngsters make the paradise dreadful.

The common differences between kids and adults are their identities. Everyone knows kids are innocent, and adults are reasonable. What makes this gap is related to the time. This time naturally affects their historical experiences. In Come Out and Play, this gap is, effectively, used for the scenes and tenses. In this film, kids decoy adults and kill. The figures of kids, mysteriously gazing and silently leaving, are very creepy. On the other hand, adults with the reasons, brought by kids who innocently talk and kill adults, are uncontrollable with the reasonable loves of adults. In other words, this is not just the fight between kids and adults, but between the instincts and humanities.

Makinov directed this Come Out and Play. This is his first feature film work. Ebon Moss-Bachrach starred for Francis is awarded Outstanding Performance in Los Angeles Film Festival for “Road”(2005). Vinessa Shaw starred for Beth is active for many TV series and films in the United States. In the film, in addition to these performers’ excellences, many children act well.

“Come Out and Play” is a remake of “Who Can Kill a Child?” (1976). To compare both films, watchers must realize a lot of small changes throughout this film. For example, the telephone used by the Dutch lady in “Who Can Kill a Child?” becomes the radio for the Swedish traveler in “Come Out and Play.” The settings of the last scenes are also amazing for each film. All these changes are with Makinov’s intentions. When audiences watch this film, they must notice what the human nature in 2012 is.