The Yard a short film

The Yard

a short film

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The Yard tells the story of Riley, who primarily with anger, frustration and confusion faces her first intense encounter with the ideas of gender and love.

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Synopsis

Riley respects the yard. Sure, recess is for fun outdoors time, a way to destress from math lessons and spelling tests, but it's also for playing and Riley loves to play and play by the rules.

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Riley and her best friends decide to play soccer after a brief moment of boredom and indecision. Riley runs past her friend Evelyn on the way to the field, and asks her if she wants to join the game. We flashback to them sitting next to one another during a school assembly. They play a hand game together and mess around, we witness them having a shared moment of friendship and joy.

We cut back to present day as we watch the gang of friends quickly fall into the rhythm of the game, clearly something they've done day after day. Riley shoots the ball and scores, it rolls through the iron bar and right to Jared's feet.

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Jared does not respect the yard. Jared doesn't care about the game's rules.

Jared bullies Riley, citing his own idea of the rules. We end with Riley in the principal's office crying, she is confused by her own actions and by what she feels towards her friend Evelyn. We look on as she has this quiet moment of self reflection, we forget she is only 10, that she only wants to play.