"The Playground" is a feature film shot entirely in San Diego and with a cast and crew almost exclusively from San Diego. The film has its world premiere Thursday night at Reading Clairemont Town Square Cinemas.
Many indie films desperately try to cash in on a popular genre in order to make marketing easier. But that can result in a film that feels too calculated and not personal enough. Edreace Purmul took a different approach but still had to find a way to market his film, "The Playground." So when asked what his "elevator pitch" for the film would be, he came up with this answer:
"I just looked at the plot and said it’s 'Pulp Fiction' meets 'The Devil’s Advocate.' I’d say that it’s a lot more than that, it’s the closest I can narrow it down to in style. But I think the film itself is really a retelling of old tales, it’s a modern take on old fables," Purmul said.
And perhaps the oldest idea of all, what is evil?
"The Playground" follows five storylines and combines elements of the supernatural with a thriller to deliver an engrossing and contemplative mediation on choice, temptation, free will, and yes the nature of evil. It’s an ambitious work and at almost two and a half hours, it's a challenge to market. Purmul said that it was originally conceived of as a multi-part web series but as it developed, it became clear to him that it needed to be a feature film and it needed to be this length to tell all five stories.
And he's right. The film doesn't drag. It weaves a clever tale that asks audience to think about moral choices.
Purmul also created the film in order to prove that a feature film could be made in San Diego. In that respect, he's proud that the film was shot entirely here in San Diego to showcase what the city has to offer in terms of locations, resources and talent.
"The Playground" has its world premiere screening at 7 p.m., Thursday, at Reading Cinemas, Clairemont Town Square. The digital release of the film will be Friday. It will be available on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, GooglePlay, FandangoNow, Microsoft, Playstation, and Steam.
