Taylor

2020, 15 minutes

A bullied gay teenager turns his life around when a new friend teaches him how to box

Taylor is a 16-year-old schoolboy from London, living in a small flat with his single-parent mum. Lonely, frustrated and lacking direction in life, he finds himself striking up an unlikely friendship with the postman, Alex. After witnessing Alex expertly confront Taylor's school bullies, Taylor persuades Alex to teach him how to box. But following an explosive misunderstanding between the two new friends, Taylor then sets out on a spiral of destruction, alienating the few supportive people he has in his life. Determined to turn a corner and make amends, Taylor summons up the courage to attend an LGBT boxing night at Alex's gym. To his relief, Alex is there waiting for him, their argument forgotten. Gradually, Taylor's Mum sees her boy start to shine.

---