12 AND HOLDING (NEW DIRECTORS/NEW FILMS)

Twelve and Holding

L to R : Conor Donovan as Rudy,
Zoë Weizenbaum as Malle
and Jesse Camacho as Leonard in
Twelve And Holding,
Michael Cuesta, 2005, USA; 90
min. Photo credit : IFC Films.

        Michael Cuesta made an auspicious debut with L.I.E. in 2001,
which I placed on my ten best list. Approaching his second feature, I
was a little tentative. Would he build on what he has accomplished or,
like so many, would he fall prey to the dreaded "sophomore slump?"
Well, I can honestly say that Twelve and Holding is a superb movie,
one of the best featured at this year's "New Directors/New Films."
While it is very early in the year, I have a feeling that I may include this
gem on my ten best list for 2006.

        Rudy Carges (Casey Donovan) is a popular kid in his neighborhood
and the unofficial leader of a gang that includes his twin Jacob
(Donovan again, this time sporting a facial birthmark), the overweight
Leonard (Jesse Camacho) and the whip-smart Malee (Zoë Weizebaum).
When Rudy is killed in a horrific accident, the lives of the other three
children spiral out of control. Jacob blames himself for his brother's
demise and he senses that his parents (the excellent Jayne Atkinson
and Linus Roache) may have wished it was he who died. Leonard,
who escaped but was injured and left without his senses of smell or
taste, begins to rebel against his family's eating habits. Malee, in the
early throes of puberty, develops a crush on a construction worker
(Jeremy Renner) who also happens to be in therapy with her mother
(Annabella Sciorra).

        There's a lot of story being juggled and the tone veers from comedy
to drama, but Anthony S. Cipriano's screenplay never condescends and
Cuesta handles the material deftly. This film is a gem.

                                Rating:         A -