Playing with Love 1977

Overview

Playing with Love is a 1977 film directed by Pier Giuseppe Murgia that features actors Martin Loeb, Lara Wendel, and Eva Ionesco. The story follows two children, Laura and Fabrizio, who meet every summer in a forest near the summer home of Laura’s parents. Fabrizio is a solitary boy accompanied by his dog, while Laura is a sweet but unconfident child. As they grow older, their dynamic shifts. Laura develops romantic feelings for Fabrizio, who begins to display a new sexual awareness of her that is masked by his malice. Their relationship becomes more complex with the arrival of Sylvia, a girl who is confident and assertive in contrast to the innocent Laura. Fabrizio becomes fascinated by Sylvia and eventually bribes Laura to bring her to the forest to join them in play. The film transitions from a story of children playing and fighting with a dog into a dream-like experience that eventually turns eerie and somber as the characters engage in increasingly adult games.