Glasgow Film Festival 2025 – The Players ★★★★

Released: TBC (Glasgow Film Festival 2025)

Director: Sarah Galea-Davis

Starring: Stefani Kimber, Jess Salgueiro, Eric Johnson, Vanessa Smythe

‘You’ve kind of got to just play the game.’ Intimate, discomforting, and sensitive, Sarah Galea-Davis’ The Players made its UK premiere at Glasgow Film Festival. When 15-year-old Emily (Stefani Kimber) is cast in an Avant-Garde stage production of Hamlet, what seems to be a dream come true quickly crumbles. Behind the façade of artistic freedom, lies manipulation and exploitation- an issue that countless women have experienced and had to combat within the theatre industry.

Discomfort is at the root of The Players’ successful narrative. Upon introduction, Emily radiates an immediate sweetness, innocence, and passion toward her craft. Desperate to make her way within theatre, and in awe at the opportunity to work alongside director Reinhardt Frank (Eric Johnson), hope and naivety disguise the beginning of what becomes a regrettable and harmful relationship.

Mirroring the Avant-garde style of the production at hand, Galea-Davis utilises this when showing artistic scenes portraying sinister undertones. The Players painstakingly clarifies the idolisation of Reinhardt, from early scenes showing desperation on the faces of young Hamlet auditioners, to Reinhardt pushing Emily to her breaking point, declaring that she will ‘stop when she gets it right’ after her tearful breakdown during an extremely physically demanding rehearsal.

Intense scenes and skilfully produced shots of acting at work aid in bringing The Players to life, reinforcing the unspoken manipulation hiding behind the curtain of the theatre industry. Emily encounters an unfamiliar world with strange new rituals and habits, many of which, like smoking and alcohol consumption, are beyond her fifteen years. When Emily catches the attention of Reinhardt and girlfriend Marley (Jess Salgueiro), she is swept away in the moment, hesitant and doubtful, but eager to embrace new customs. They compliment her appearance, stating that she should cut her hair, that it would make her look more mature, and so Marley grabs the scissors. Eerie, blurry shots of an onlooking Reinhardt, combined with the use of sound and score heighten the tension, creating that ‘sinking stomach’ feeling for any viewer. When Reinhardt later suggests setting Emily’s costume on fire on stage, and hesitating when asked what she will be wearing underneath, this predatory behaviour only becomes clearer, making Emily feel even more vulnerable and alone.

Throughout The Players, the plot continues to place Emily in extremely adult situations, especially as her relationship with Reinhardt develops. From insults, to compliments, she begins to feel the need for his approval, caught up in a cycle of praise and validation. He makes her feel special- that she’s one of a kind. When it is revealed that the production of Hamlet will be touring in Boston, and that he claims she is one of the only performers that he wants to bring with him, Emily begins to feel seen. Gradually, her friends and family begin to show hesitance and weariness about the play and Reinhardt, but she grows defensive- she has opened up to him, speaking about her personal life and her confusing, ever-changing relationship with her mother and father-  she trusts him.

Johnson excels in his portrayal of Reinhardt, his somewhat sinister demeanour and predatory behaviour enough to send a shiver down your spine. “Pretty much all of the directors are going to want to sleep with you… you’ve kinda just gotta play the game,” one of Emily’s fellow actors states, posing the question of exactly how normalised manipulative and predatory behaviour is within the industry, and why are those in privileged positions, whether that is due to status or age, preying on the vulnerability of a young woman in an already exposed situation. One thing is for sure, Sarah Galea-Davis brilliantly tackles this much-needed conversation, bringing to light a difficult and vulnerable topic that often goes unspoken and unnoticed, making The Players a must-watch as one of the highlights of Glasgow Film Festival 2025.