Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

Child's Play

Original title: Kinderspiele
  • 1992
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
199
YOUR RATING
Child's Play (1992)
Drama

Germany in the early sixties, somewhere in a poor suburb. The ten-year-old boy, Micha, is brutally beaten by his father for minor misdemeanors. He receives little support from other members ... Read allGermany in the early sixties, somewhere in a poor suburb. The ten-year-old boy, Micha, is brutally beaten by his father for minor misdemeanors. He receives little support from other members of his family and so decides to wage a personal war against all of them. He joins other bu... Read allGermany in the early sixties, somewhere in a poor suburb. The ten-year-old boy, Micha, is brutally beaten by his father for minor misdemeanors. He receives little support from other members of his family and so decides to wage a personal war against all of them. He joins other bullies at school to terrorize people for amusement, including his own little brother, Peter... Read all

  • Director
    • Wolfgang Becker
  • Writers
    • Wolfgang Becker
    • Horst Johann Sczerba
  • Stars
    • Jonas Kipp
    • Angelika Bartsch
    • Burghart Klaußner
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    199
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Wolfgang Becker
    • Writers
      • Wolfgang Becker
      • Horst Johann Sczerba
    • Stars
      • Jonas Kipp
      • Angelika Bartsch
      • Burghart Klaußner
    • 2User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 1 nomination

    Photos

    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jonas Kipp
    • Micha
    Angelika Bartsch
    • Mother
    Burghart Klaußner
    Burghart Klaußner
    • Father
    Matthias Friedrich
    • Peter
    Oliver Bröcker
    • Kalli…
    Irina Lackmann
    • Rita
    Detlev Buck
    Detlev Buck
    Nadine Grenz
    Brigitte Janner
    Rüdiger Joswig
    Johanna Karl-Lory
    Evelyn Meyka
    Evelyn Meyka
    Bert Pesalla
    Ernst-Georg Schwill
    Michele Sterr
    Michael Stutz
    Jürgen Vogel
    Jürgen Vogel
    Antonio Wannek
    Antonio Wannek
    • Director
      • Wolfgang Becker
    • Writers
      • Wolfgang Becker
      • Horst Johann Sczerba
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Schmetterlinge
    7.2
    Schmetterlinge
    Life is All You Get
    7.2
    Life is All You Get
    Me and Kaminski
    6.6
    Me and Kaminski
    Paul Is Dead
    7.3
    Paul Is Dead
    Child's Play
    6.2
    Child's Play
    Good Bye Lenin!
    7.7
    Good Bye Lenin!
    Child's Play 3
    5.1
    Child's Play 3
    Child's Play
    6.6
    Child's Play
    Child's Play 2
    5.9
    Child's Play 2
    Child's Play
    5.7
    Child's Play
    Bride of Chucky
    5.6
    Bride of Chucky
    Le baiser sous la cloche
    6.6
    Le baiser sous la cloche

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Connections
      Featured in Century of Cinema: Die Nacht der Regisseure (1995)

    User reviews2

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Children's games are no child's play
    This film tells the sad story of a childhood somewhere in Germany in the early 60s. When Micha's mother leaves his irascible father, he tries to prevent their divorce by any means he can think of, but his attempts to hold the family together lead to a catastrophe. The film shows in a brilliant way how pressure and violence is passed along to an inferior person: Micha's father beats his son because he's frustrated about the poverty they have to live in and Micha vents *his* aggressions by teasing his little brother or the senile grandma of his best friend Olli.

    What I really like about the film (besides being moved to tears) is the realism and attention to detail in everything from dialogue to set-design. It's all dead-on. Even today children in Germany still tell the obscene "poems" which Micha learns from Olli ("Rot ist die Liebe, schwarz ist das Loch ..."). Another example: When they refurnish the room of Micha's granny copies of the "Völkischer Beobachter" (an infamous Nazi-newspaper) appear below the wallpaper, indicating that the Third Reich wasn't that long ago. Or: When Micha is told to bring some plums to relatives you can see that they have more exotic (and expensive) fruits in a bowl on the table, indicating the difference in the social position in a very subtle way. The script is full of these exact observations, so that you'll discover something new even the third or fourth time you see this little gem.
    helpful•24
    0
    • ChWasser
    • Oct 1, 1999

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 2, 1993 (Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • Germany
    • Language
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Cocuk Oyunu
    • Production companies
      • FFG Film- und Fernseh-GmbH
      • Royal Film
      • Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 51 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Child's Play (1992)
    Top Gap
    What is the English language plot outline for Child's Play (1992)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.