Genre: Drama. 

Director: Margot Budzyna.

Cast: Arabella Olivia Clark. Lynden Miles Ley. Eli D Goss.

[Seen at Slamdance Film Festival 2025]

THE PREMISE:

"A friendship is threatened by an unexpected culprit: baseball practice."

OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

Nothing sums up the summer better than baseball. Of course, if said practice gets in the way of enjoying a cheeseburger, or if that means you have to wash off the lipstick you so carefully applied, then little league can be quite the disruption. Set in a glorious summertime era when Gen X was young, Deuce cleverly explores the anxiety of inclusion and the tension of joining a group of peers. The short film is both nostalgic and progressive with memorable performances from some incredible child actors. 

Deuce is a snappy coming-of-age tale featuring two friends who are challenging their relationship and also society’s norms. Michael (Lynden Miles Ley) is a quiet boy who joined a baseball team but would rather be daydreaming. And wearing makeup. Addie (Arabella Olivia Clark) is a tomboy at heart. She keeps her blond locks shorn short and wants to play baseball with the boys much more than attending a tea party with the girls. They are fast friends who dream together but their desires soon push their orbits apart. 

Michael is not a good little leaguer. He wants to look up in the sky and see the expanse of clouds, not tracking a baseball. He stares in the mirror and questions his reflection. Is his true face plain? Or the one accented with blush and mascara? Addie’s desires are more definitive. She is the braver of the pair. She wants to wear that baseball uni - and will pretty much do anything to be included within that tribe. She’ll have her burger drowning in ketchup, even if it means keeping Michael in a silent corner - a consequence she realizes too late.

Deuce is directed by Margot Budzyna and co-written with Christian Tasiopoulos. Proudly filmed using Kodak, their short film sports true authenticity harkening back to the childhood images they sought to capture. To do so, they replace the modern-day digital 16:9 aspect ratio with a classic 8mm aperture; allowing the grainy texture to display a tactile realism. Budzyna pivots her narrative between displays of  full-on humor and an innate sadness on alienation. Both Ley and Clark are perfectly cast and act their hearts out as true professionals.

Summertime as a child is supposed to be magical, full of freedom and adventures. Budzyna captures that feel of wonder but tempers it with hesitancy. Not everything in the past was a good time. Deuce is a compelling short film that successfully pairs the home runs with the foul balls. 

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Be sure to catch Deuce – and many other indie projects – over at Slamdance.