Shield takes us into the world of
Zoe (played by Sienna Elisa Riv-
ers), a young girl who was thrust
into foster care after the death
of her brother (who was her sole
guardian). She latches onto the
only thing that reminds her of him
- a blanket. Trauma has alienated
her from everyone and has made
it difficult for Zoe to find a perma-
nent home. She may have found
one with Rachel (Gisela Adisa)
who takes her in and tries to help
Zoe overcome her anger issues
from being bullied at school.
“I’ve encountered beautiful souls
who have journeyed through the
foster care system,” explained
Danielle Eliska Lyle. “I listened to
the stories of the struggles their
families endured, how they were
separated from siblings at times,
the heaviness and holiness each
foster home brought to their lives
— wanting to be loved, but feeling
unloved. Some became caretak-
ers of siblings and made them
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 63
grow up faster than expected
— the absence of a father or the
death of a mother.”
“Their stories never left me,”
continued Lyle. “Traumatic cir-
cumstances could’ve become the
destruction of them; despite their
tough upbringings, they’ve be-
come some of the most successful
people I know. I believe that truth
for anyone. I wanted to give oth-
ers their inspiration and hope. It is
why I wrote Shield.”
Lyle points to a friend she met in
grad school who was in foster care
with her siblings as inspiration be-
hind the film. She recalled how
this person accomplished so much
despite the odds. Shield isn’t her
friend’s story, but it was created to
inspire others - to give encourage-
ment to young people in foster
care who need to feel seen. She
notes that many of the stories in
the media about foster care focus
on negative aspects and hopes
this film will change the narrative.
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