Rockland Relay follows Rachel, a young girl whose parents move her across the country just as she is about to start high school. Rachel finds herself stuck in a new town with no friends and only her snotty older sister to talk to. Quickly, Rachel meets a group of tough-as-nails girls whose one concern is winning this year’s Rockland Relay..

Juror comments: Rockland Relay is a really moving movie! I like the entire process of the main character having to deal with the difficulties of adapting to new surroundings. A good example of this is when she is sitting in the trailer and looking through the images of her old friends with a reflectively sad face. I also like the sibling relationship, which is well portrayed when she asks her older sister to borrow her bike after knowing the bike relay race that she learned about. Her sister has conditions - a month of chores. The entire idea of teamwork is well portrayed and the disappointment and frustration of losing to the same team that dominated the relay for five years are well displayed by each team member.

The story follows Rachel, a young girl who is trying to cope with her life after moving and having to deal with her sister, who is annoying. She sees a group of girls on bikes, training for a race. The girls come to her house after one of them gets injured and asks her to join. She decides to join and these girls will do anything to win this year's Rockland Relay - something that they have wanted to win after the same team dominated it for five straight years.

I like how the story portrays the life of a girl that just moved to a new town and is still trying to cope with that. She looks back at the good times she had with her old friends with sadness. I also like how the story has this idea of including others, which we see when the girls that want to win the Rockland Relay go to Rachel’s house and invite her to join them. The idea of determination to beat the team that has dominated the event is also something that makes it feel real.

The scene that impressed me the most is when Rachel is trying to cope with the loss of her old friends and having to adapt to a new place and her sister totally denies her idea. I was impressed with the entire conversation and the voice of her sister, which is so realistic for a sibling that is not interested in an activity. The camera shots that impressed me the most were during the very start of the movie when Rachel is looking at her phone and the close-up shots perfectly display her sorrow at having to start over again. The location is in a town in the USA. The sets are realistic. I especially like the basement which perfectly portrays a typical family's old stuff that they do not really use anymore. It is dark which further makes it realistic. The set for the racecourse fits the idea of a community biking event. The background music at the beginning of the film is lighthearted, which portrays the excitement of a family moving to a new place to live and restart their lives. When the day of the relay comes, there is tense music in the background, which fits the pressure of the event. The actor that plays Rachel, Andrea Stebbins is quite good. The actors playing the group of girls are also very good.

The message of the film is about the importance of being inclusive with people who are new in the area.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. I recommend the movie as there is a variety of good lessons that it teaches and it can be perfectly relatable for someone who is going through the same thing in sports or competition in general. Reviewed by Tom W., KIDS FIRST!