| Spelen of Sterven (To Play or to Die) | |
| Director: | Frank Krom |
| Story: | Anna Blaman |
| Cinematography: | Nils Post |
| Editing: | Sander Vos |
| Distributor: | Shooting Star Film Distribution BV |
| Runtime: | 47 minutes |
| Country: | Netherlands |
| Language: | Dutch |
To Play or to Die (Dutch; Flemish: '''Spelen of Sterven''') is a 1990 Dutch gay-related psychological drama film directed by Frank Krom in his directorial debut and co-written by Krom and Anne van de Putte based on a story by Anna Blaman.
In this short motion picture, schoolboy Kees is intelligent, introvert and sensitive, but gets ridiculed verbally and physically at an all-boys school by mindlessly cocky classmates and even insensitive teachers, especially in gym, where his physical weakness is mercilessly abused to make him a defenceless laughing stock in front of his smirking peers. His awakening sexual interest goes to boys, and in particular to Charel, a beautiful athletic classmate who probably feels an undetermined interest but would never risk admitting (possibly not even to himself) having any gay or bi appreciation, least of all for a 'sissy', and thus remains unresponsive to shy Kees' overtures. When the hunk finally comes over to Kees' place while his parents are away, a desperate disappointment with a tragical twist is in the making.
While there are no critical reviews, the film received mixed reviews from audiences, holding a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 72 user reviews, with an average rating of 3.3/5.[1]