PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL SHORTFEST 2025 REVIEW! Politics are a dicey subject to bring up because things usually turn ugly fast. Director Kara Grace Miller’s short documentary, My Neighbor’s Yard, is about Pennsylvania’s Capital Region. The area is almost split down the middle in terms of which side of the aisle people are on. Citizens use signs, flags, and Halloween skeletons to turn yards into opposing campaign endorsements leading up to the 2024 presidential election. We learn in the opening text that Pennsylvania is said to be the deciding state for the election, and that 50.37% of Pennsylvanians chose Donald Trump.
“…security footage of a car running over signs in a fit of anger.”
The film begins with Ed and his wife, Karen, who are Trump supporters. They have been displaying 20-square-foot signs in their front yard for the past 36 years in support of their favored candidate. One woman states, “Good neighbors don’t have to think alike.” Then the film cuts to a man with a skeleton in his yard. The skeleton is wearing a Trump mask. Later, we see security footage of a car running over signs in a fit of anger. Ed and Karen also talk about some kind of projectile being shot into their home. Some of the subjects believe that the signs can make an impact, while others acknowledge that they don’t think the signs actually change people’s opinions on the election, but that it’s nice to find other like-minded people.
Politics are such a divisive issue in this day and age, so it’s important for films like My Neighbor’s Yard to examine where we are as a culture. The movie is only 10 minutes long, so it can’t get too deep. But it’s still fun, scary, and insightful.
My Neighbor’s Yard screened at the 2025 Palm Springs International ShortFest.
"…fun, scary, and insightful."
