Children are absolutely terrifying and Claire Simon knows it. Why else would the filmmaker park herself in a school courtyard, becoming a silent spectator for a day’s worth of recesses?

Here she observes French kindergarteners and grade-schoolers in their most primal—and unsupervised—states. A game of barbershop quickly turns into a jail escape; sticks become coveted sources of power in a make-believe house; calls for mum are thunderous when a kicking match breaks loose while, in another corner, a girl must face her paralyzing fear of heights.

Simon shoots the tots at their pint-sized heights, transporting viewers into the rough-and-tumble universe of the playground—so much so that you can’t help but to feel a little disappointed when the bell chimes for class.