The Toy Soldiers


The Toy Soldiers is a 2014 American coming-of-age drama film was written and directed by Erik Peter Carlson, and starring Najarra Townsend, Constance Brenneman, Chandler Rylko, and Jeanette May Steiner.
Set in the 1980s, five coming-of-age stories unravel together on the final evening that local hangout, The Soldiers Roller Rink, closes its doors. During an ongoing night of sex, drugs, and rock "n" roll, the innocence of youth will unravel and each individuals life will be changed forever.

Background

Erik Peter Carlson's sophomore feature film portrays an unsentimentally realistic story about the life, complexities and savageries faced by teens and their families in the 1980s culture of America. Many scenes from the film were shot at the Huntington Beach Pier and the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale.
The film premiered on June 8, 2014 at the Dances With Films festival as the Closing Night Feature at the TCL Chinese Theatre. The film was theatrically released November 14, 2014 in AMC Theatres.

Plot

On one evening in a decade of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, the innocence of youth and family unravels. Five parallel coming-of-age stories dramatize the stages of grief. A youthful mother in a custody battle over her children finds tranquility with the bottle. The abuse of her ex-husband still haunts the children; a nineteen-year-old drug addict, and his younger brother, a bullied closet homosexual. There's the story of the dog; a teen who offers sexual favors to gain acceptance, the challenged classmate who would do anything for her love, and the redhead beauty, haunted by a secret, tragic past. These lives and others will change forever on this final evening before their hangout, The Toy Soldiers Roller Rink, closes its doors for the final time.

Cast

June 8, 2014:
October 2, 2014:
October 18, 2014:
November 14, 2014: Red Carpet Premiere Universal CityWalk Hollywood

Awards and nominations

The film received multiple nominations at its 2014 festival screening: