While walking home from school, Ricky Garcia (Jesus Sanchez-Velez), a thirteen-year-old autistic boy, runs away from home. He embarks on a days-long journey through the New York City Subway. Above ground, his mother Mariana (Andrea Suarez Paz) and his sister Carla (Azul Zorilla) frantically search for him.
Stand Clear of the Closing Doors contains examples of:
- 20 Minutes into the Past: Ricky disappears in October of 2012. His journey and his family's search occur during the days leading up to Hurricane Sandy.
- 555: The missing child poster Mariana makes uses this number.
- Accidental Misnaming: One detective keeps referring to Ricky as Richie.
- And Starring: "As" is used at the beginning of the end credits.
- Bilingual Dialogue: Ricky and Carla speak English at home, while their parents speak Spanish.
- Broken Record: Ricky mutters "A Train" to himself over and over again, then "G Train" and "I Train."
- Disappeared Dad: Mariana's husband Ricardo Sr. (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) is Married to the Job and spends almost all his time upstate. He doesn't even come home until days after Ricky's disappearance.
- Disappointed in You: Ricky was able to run away because Carla blew off her responsibility to walk him home. When he doesn't show up, Mariana tells Carla, "I can't even look at you."
- The End Is Nigh: One man on the subway reacts to the approach of Hurricane Sandy by warning people about the end of the world and handing out Chick Tracts.
- Exiled to the Couch: Happens to Ricardo Sr. his first night home. He and Mariana have sex on the second.
- Food Slap: One man on a train dumps his drink on Ricky's head as revenge for peeing on the floor.
- Go to Your Room!: Grief and worry cause Mariana and Carla to take out their stress on each other. Mariana tells Carla to go to her room after one particularly nasty fight. Carla responds with a Door Slam of Rage.
- Hand-or-Object Underwear: When Mariana and Ricardo are naked after having sex, Mariana's breasts are covered by both of their arms.
- Handshake Substitute: Ricky and a homeless man fist bump after the homeless man gives Ricky a banana.
- An Immigrant's Tale: The Garcias are undocumented, which complicates their search for Ricky.
- Lens Flare: Used quite a lot.
- No Medication for Me: Ricky's parents treat his autism with a mysterious cocktail of medication that he refers to as the "evil drink" and resists taking. Mariana thinks he becomes much worse without it, although he doesn't act noticeably different on the subway than at home.
- Nostalgia Filter: One person on the subway declares his intention to vote for Romney due to his nostalgia for The '80s, when things were cheaper.
- Potty Failure: The subway bathrooms are closed between midnight and 5 AM, which causes Ricky to pee himself on the train.
- Rail Enthusiast: Ricky was fascinated by the subway before he ran away.
- Sensory Overload: Ricky becomes so disoriented and overwhelmed by everyone's Halloween costumes that he faints.
- Skipping School: The day before his disappearance, Ricky cuts class to spend the day wandering the beach. He tells the teacher he was sick.
- Title Drop: The title phrase is played twice, once in Spanish and once in English.
