The Devil's Playground is a 1976 Australian coming-of-age drama directed by Fred Schepisi, starring Simon Burke, Arthur Dignam, Nick Tate, Charles McCallum, John Frawley, Jonathan Hardy, and Gerry Duggan. Semi-autobiographical in nature, the film tells the story of Tom Allen (Burke), a boy growing up in a Catholic juniorate in 1950s Melbourne, and focuses on Tom's onset of puberty and the conflicts that arise, for both students and staff, from the religious injunctions requiring them to control their sexuality.
Provides examples of the following tropes:
- The '50s: The story takes place in August 1953.
- Author Avatar: Tom serves as a fictional stand-in for director Fred Schepisi, who grew up in a similar Catholic juniorate and based the film's story on his own experiences there.
- Coming of Age Story: It's about a 13 year old boy struggling with the challenges of growing up in a conservative religious environment and dealing with the onset of puberty, the latter of which puts him in direct conflict with the former.
- Chromosome Casting: Mrs. Sullivan is the sole female presence among the otherwise all-male main cast. Justified, as it's set in an all-male religious community.
- Non-Nude Bathing: A key plot point is that seminary students are required to keep their bodies covered at all times. Dormitory scenes show the boys showering in swim trunks and dressing under bathrobes. The movie also averts the trope by showing the most prudish brother changing at a public pool.
- Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny: A major theme of the film is the tensions, personal or otherwise, that arise from religious doctrines requiring one to suppress their natural sexual desires, whether it be a boy going through puberty or an adult man struggling to control his desire for the opposite sex after catching glimpses of women's bodies at a public pool.
