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12 AND HOLDING (2006) (***1/2)

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This sad inspection of how death affects children and adults alike is painful, humorous and, at times, melodramatic, but always insightful when looking at how profoundly the actions of parents change their children. Director Michael Cuesta and writer Anthony Cipriano have crafted a look at how tragedy at a young age can sometimes cause arrested development, while never falling into the common pitfalls of films that deal with children by surrounding them with cookie cutter adults. In covering the lives of three friends, the filmmakers understand that there are more influences in their lives than just each other.

Jacob and Rudy Carges (both played by Conor Donovon, THE DEPARTED) are twin brothers, however Jacob was born with a large pink birthmark over one side of his face. When we first meet the brothers, Jacob is hiding behind his new hockey mask as the duo fends off their treehouse from bullies. Their best friends are the bold Malee (Zoe Weizenbaum, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA) and the overweight Leonard (Jesse Camacho, TV's RUDY: THE RUDY GIULIANI STORY). When a tragic accident leads to the death of Ruby, each of the three children handles it differently, confronting their fears in various ways.

Jacob has always felt like an outcast in comparison to his braver and more outspoken brother. His mother Ashley (Jayne Atkinson, TV's 24) states that Rudy was easier to raise. His father Jim (Linus Roache, THE WINGS OF THE DOVE) seems to go through the stages of grieving in great highs and lows. Jacob becomes angry and withdrawn from his old life, finding common ground in an unlikely person.

Malee is the daughter of psychiatrist Carla Chuang (Annabella Sciorra, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME), who constantly fights with her estranged husband, who Malee never gets to see. The death of her friend, as well as the onset of puberty, has made her daring, developing a crush on his mother's patient Gus Maitland (Jeremy Renner, DAHMER), who is suffering from terrible nightmares as a result of things he experienced as a firefighter. As Malee's actions to attract the old man increase, the crush turns from innocent to potentially dangerous.

Leonard was present when Rudy died and as a result of an accident has lost his sense of smell and taste. He becomes determined to get into shape in spite of his families unhealthy eating habits. When he is left at home with his obese mother Grace (Marica DeBonis, 13 GOING ON 30), he takes the idea of tough love to the extreme.

Outside of the Leonard story getting a bit thick in the end, all three stories have equally success in the overall tale. The filmmakers balance the interweaving plotlines deftly, not favoring one over the other and making sure that one never drags down the others. Each deal with how deeply the actions and even the words of parents influence their children. Jacob is the most affected by Rudy's death and makes choices that will haunt him forever. As we learn more about Gus's story, we can see a possible future for Jacob.

For the most part, the three stories do not wrap up nicely. Cuesta and Cipriano are not interested in easy issues of right and wrong. Emotions, especially when guilt, anger and resentment are involved, are muddled following an unexpected accident. On the surface Jacob, Malee and Leonard's are good loving parents, but are unaware or ill equipped due to their own issues to help their children in the ways that they truly need. In one profound case, the issues of a parent only create more pain and tragedy. If there is one lesson I took from the film it was, parents need to understand that even when you are suffering you don't get time off from being a role model to your kids.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks