12 and Holding (2005)

So Much Better Than I Thought It Would Be

This movie was so dynamic... The young actors were surprisingly seasoned and the supporting cast was an all time greatest hits list... I never saw the end coming! September 21, 2008

Stunning!

This is an excellent movie. Powerful with a profound message. An example of the influence of society on kids. Parents, watch your kids and get some psychotherapy for yourselves. Good acting by young children. Totally recommended! August 8, 2008

Very powerful film that slowly gets to you

Michael Cuesta's 12 and Holding isn't a particularly showy film. It's shot very basically and obviously on a small budget. There's a small amount of fairly big-name talent among the adult cast but most of the kids are relatively unknown actors. Everyone though does an excellent job in bringing the viewer into this world and this situation. (aside from the occasionally over-acted line or 2.)

Two twins, one with a major birthmark covering half his face who lives in his brother's shadow, defend their treehouse from bullies, who decide to burn it down, which accidentally kills the popular brother. The movie's about a group of 3 friends who spend most of the movie apart, and over the span of several months, each deal with their lives in their own ways. Jake, the surviving brother, has the only story that seems to be specifically about him grieving over his brother; he deals with his depressed parents, frequently goes to juvenile hall to visit his brother's killers, who he taunts with pictures of his dead brother, and dealing with his parents' decision to adopt a kid.

The other 2 kids, though, (one a fat kid named Leonard and a girl named Malee) say they have moved on, and sure enough, their plots deal very little with the death. Leonard, who lost his ability to taste food since the incident, decides to desperately begin losing weight. He attempts to force his very overweight family to join him. Malee, meanwhile, reveals herself to be a very lonely girl who clings to an adult construction worker she has a thing for. He's probably the best character in the movie, and is acted extremely well. This plot turns out to resonate the most. Although neither of these two friends seem to be openly grieving over the death, these plots and their actions reveal somewhat disturbed and sad characters, who have been clearly messed up by the death, even though they (and the movie) never specifies this.

The movie, although the actual death is early in the film and many of the funeral proceedings happen offscreen, makes EXCELLENT use of songs that are both ambient and eerie. These are sprinkled throughout the film and always served to somehow remind me of the tragedy early on in the film and they keep an otherworldly air flowing throughout.

The movie's not perfect. I found many of the adults to be pretty irritating (except for the construction worker, who'se the only adult in the movie who doesn't seem to be a cliche) and I also thought the fat kid's story seemed to be extremely reminiscent of a bad sitcom. It just didn't really seem to fit with the rest of the movie. Aside from the excellent licensed music, the actual soundtrack that was COMPOSED for the film's extremely week. The same song plays frequently, and other music just seems to further bring to light the feel of a bad sitcom.

But this is all completely forgotten by the time the film reaches its very powerful ending...which has definitely divided the opinions of several people who have seen it. Some may call it "out of nowhere," but it all made complete sense to me. This kid was NOT alright, and getting closure was important to him and that was what he felt he had to do....and it all just sort of clicked at the end. It was these final scenes that left the biggest impression on me.

It's not flawless but it's a very powerful film that's definitely worth a viewing for anyone whose into indie films or into "human" stories. July 27, 2008

Suprise

This movie was really good. Can't believe a movie this good from a cast of children. The plot, the acting, everything. I recommend. August 13, 2007

real kids not your Disney or Nichelodeon cutesy fakes

A true baseball fanatic will go to a hundred baseball games hoping to be at that one well-played game in which your team wins the game on a home run in the bottom of the ninth. Nothing in sports can match the euphoria of that moment and it stays with you for weeks, months and sometimes years after all the other games are long forgotten. This movie is just like that. It is a rare treasure of great acting by all the performers, (not your cutsey Disney or Nickelodeon kids), of unexpected plot changes, of great story telling, and most noteably, scenes that somehow stay with you long after the movie ends. Somehow, I really ended up caring for all the characters: the kids, the parents, the construction worker, and even the so-called bad kid; and hoping that their lives will get better in the future. That is a rare film indeed that you can see the weaknesses and the strengths of all the characters and you end up liking all of them and hoping every thing turns out ok for all of them. Watch the film and see if you don't think about the characters when you are in a quiet setting or trying to fall asleep. It took me awhile to fall asleep after watching the film.


July 2, 2007

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