Das Ende der Unschuld

This movie touches on a series of issues troubling America today seen thru the eyes of it's youth. The film shows us that problems in areas such as violence, guns, race issues and obesity are no longer limited to adults but play an active part amongst young people as well. The film centers around a group of 12 year old friends and their families. All with different problems which reflect on their parents short comings. The script is very well written and the acting is quite extraordinary throughout the entire film. The only real problem is that the movie feels a little too short, but perhaps it's better to quit while ones ahead. I'd recommend this film to anyone with an interest in human nature and all it's flaws.

Nice production, good script, outstanding casting, great young actors and well chosen music makes this a gem. One can complain about some of the extremes of the plot, but forgive the excesses and farcical elements for the sake of a well woven story. It begins with four kids, friends growing up in a middle-class neighborhood. A significant event splits the initial single thread into three, each following a child: the precocious Malee making her first amorous exploration; Leonard and his struggle with obesity, not only his but also of his immediate family; and the conflicted Jacob. While the film would classify as a drama, there is a good deal of humor to counterbalance the tension that is maintained throughout. The editing is superb in how it moves nimbly among the threads, keeping us always interested and curious about what will happen to the characters. The young actors deliver their parts with aplomb which combined with excellent directing should make this a success.

I feel the last reviewer was a little out of touch with reality. They felt the movie was too 'extreme', but I was actually drawn closer to the characters because the writer portrayed them as VERY real and believable. If I was that age, and someone did what was done to the boy in the movie, prison would be the least of their worries. These kids, and ALL kids, are not the innocent 'Beaver Cleavers' most adults think (or wish) all kids are. I for one, remember when I was 12. I did things like these kids did, and more. I was sexually active in a same sex relationship with someone older, another issue is addressed in the movie, and could relate to it even though the relationship portrayed in the movie is heterosexual. It is VERY rare to see ANY reference to adult - adolescent "relationships" where the adolescent is the sexual aggressor, and NOT the adult. It may be an ugly subject, but it IS reality.

I give this movie an 11 on a scale of 1-10. I would also like to thank IFC Films for showing new releases on PayPer View so people who don't have access to theaters showing the films can see them. I wish ALL independent films were available in this manner.

The minute this film started playing, I was hooked. The story follows three 12 year olds who are the normal kind of kids you expect to bump into in your neighbourhood. Each has their own issues, as do all 12 year olds, and it is not till an immensely tragic death amongst them occurs, that they start confronting their issues and start trying to deal with them in their own way. Each very different. The story unravels beautifully and there are times you feel like you need to look away, and start squirming with unease and shock, and times you literally burst out laughing and then cry as well.. Well, I did anyway. I would highly recommend this to pretty much everyone I know, I cant believe it slipped through the net, and I have only just seen it. An absolute gem. To say it is like Stand By Me is a bold statement, but a deserved one. Its of the same calibre. Watch it.

Michael Cuesta (who previously directed the slick and grotesquely controversial "L.I.E" and is currently one of the masterminds behind Showtime's wildly entertaining and grotesque "Dexter") treads some very dangerous ground with "Twelve and Holding." Working with a solid script focusing on how three best friends cope with the accidental death of another friend (the more popular twin brother of one of the protagonists), he presents pre-adolescent characters with the psychologically complex motives of adults and we witness their pratfalls, tragedies, and heart wrenching moments in a the same type of voyeuristic manner usually reserved for more mature characters and audiences. Elements of classics like "Stand by Me" keep the film grounded even as some of the plot developments get a bit far-fetched.

The acting is a huge plus here, with Annabella Sciora (getting more and more enchanting and beautiful with age), Jayne Atkinson (brutal, honest, and gut-wrenching as the grieving mother of the dead child), and Connor Donovan (in duel leads as the dead boy and his conflicted twin brother) highlighting the excellent ensemble. Cuesta's surprisingly subtle direction somehow manages to avoid both the salacious tendencies of a Larry Clark film and the annoyingly overt quirkiness of similarly themed films like "Me and You and Everyone we Know" to deliver a profound and perplexing tale of coming-of-age, revenge and loneliness.