12
Screened at the Hollywood International Film Festival
Producer Lloyd Silverman ("Snow Falling on Cedars") makes his directorial debut with the edgy "12," a low-budget drama that relies on video effects and wall-to-wall sound design to convey fractured points of view. Set during Pope John Paul II's 1999 visit to St. Louis, "12" is, at its best, an oblique meditation on the longing for an elusive father. There are instances of visual flair (Silverman serves as director of photography), but with its uneven performances and heavily thematic dialogue, the film doesn't have the dramatic impact it intends. Prospects are slim beyond the fest circuit.
The story's 24-hour time span begins with a drug deal at noon -- sparking the musings of Larry (Jake Koenig) on the number 12. He and his cousin Jack (Adam Longo), a fresh-faced kid on the verge of changing his life, wait in the ruins of an old stone church for their customer, a skinhead (Asa Eslocker) with whom the chemically imbalanced Larry has a less-than-believable tussle.
Jack wants to reconcile with his pregnant girlfriend (Merrie Bracken, whose performance is the weakest in the film) and break away from his cranked-up business partner (Nick Akerberg, convincingly paranoid). The popemobile makes its way around the city -- flickering TV images of the pontiff are key elements of many interior scenes -- while an unsavory father figure enters the characters' lives: mobster Heschel (Reuben O. Charles II), who has more on his mind than mere business.
Silverman makes good use of desaturated color, St. Louis locations and expressionistic music and video flourishes. Larry restlessly records everything with his video camera -- and for stretches, we too see through his darting, indiscriminate viewfinder. There's a cumulative power to this, but it's not enough to overcome the weaknesses of J. Scott Hall's script, in which characters expound on faith, God and trust with momentum-halting directness. Only in a well-orchestrated, philosophy-free scene in which Jack tells Larry a crucial bit of back story do the actors achieve a realistic chemistry.
Producer Lloyd Silverman ("Snow Falling on Cedars") makes his directorial debut with the edgy "12," a low-budget drama that relies on video effects and wall-to-wall sound design to convey fractured points of view. Set during Pope John Paul II's 1999 visit to St. Louis, "12" is, at its best, an oblique meditation on the longing for an elusive father. There are instances of visual flair (Silverman serves as director of photography), but with its uneven performances and heavily thematic dialogue, the film doesn't have the dramatic impact it intends. Prospects are slim beyond the fest circuit.
The story's 24-hour time span begins with a drug deal at noon -- sparking the musings of Larry (Jake Koenig) on the number 12. He and his cousin Jack (Adam Longo), a fresh-faced kid on the verge of changing his life, wait in the ruins of an old stone church for their customer, a skinhead (Asa Eslocker) with whom the chemically imbalanced Larry has a less-than-believable tussle.
Jack wants to reconcile with his pregnant girlfriend (Merrie Bracken, whose performance is the weakest in the film) and break away from his cranked-up business partner (Nick Akerberg, convincingly paranoid). The popemobile makes its way around the city -- flickering TV images of the pontiff are key elements of many interior scenes -- while an unsavory father figure enters the characters' lives: mobster Heschel (Reuben O. Charles II), who has more on his mind than mere business.
Silverman makes good use of desaturated color, St. Louis locations and expressionistic music and video flourishes. Larry restlessly records everything with his video camera -- and for stretches, we too see through his darting, indiscriminate viewfinder. There's a cumulative power to this, but it's not enough to overcome the weaknesses of J. Scott Hall's script, in which characters expound on faith, God and trust with momentum-halting directness. Only in a well-orchestrated, philosophy-free scene in which Jack tells Larry a crucial bit of back story do the actors achieve a realistic chemistry.
- 7/9/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
12
Screened at the Hollywood International Film Festival
Producer Lloyd Silverman ("Snow Falling on Cedars") makes his directorial debut with the edgy "12," a low-budget drama that relies on video effects and wall-to-wall sound design to convey fractured points of view. Set during Pope John Paul II's 1999 visit to St. Louis, "12" is, at its best, an oblique meditation on the longing for an elusive father. There are instances of visual flair (Silverman serves as director of photography), but with its uneven performances and heavily thematic dialogue, the film doesn't have the dramatic impact it intends. Prospects are slim beyond the fest circuit.
The story's 24-hour time span begins with a drug deal at noon -- sparking the musings of Larry (Jake Koenig) on the number 12. He and his cousin Jack (Adam Longo), a fresh-faced kid on the verge of changing his life, wait in the ruins of an old stone church for their customer, a skinhead (Asa Eslocker) with whom the chemically imbalanced Larry has a less-than-believable tussle.
Jack wants to reconcile with his pregnant girlfriend (Merrie Bracken, whose performance is the weakest in the film) and break away from his cranked-up business partner (Nick Akerberg, convincingly paranoid). The popemobile makes its way around the city -- flickering TV images of the pontiff are key elements of many interior scenes -- while an unsavory father figure enters the characters' lives: mobster Heschel (Reuben O. Charles II), who has more on his mind than mere business.
Silverman makes good use of desaturated color, St. Louis locations and expressionistic music and video flourishes. Larry restlessly records everything with his video camera -- and for stretches, we too see through his darting, indiscriminate viewfinder. There's a cumulative power to this, but it's not enough to overcome the weaknesses of J. Scott Hall's script, in which characters expound on faith, God and trust with momentum-halting directness. Only in a well-orchestrated, philosophy-free scene in which Jack tells Larry a crucial bit of back story do the actors achieve a realistic chemistry.
Producer Lloyd Silverman ("Snow Falling on Cedars") makes his directorial debut with the edgy "12," a low-budget drama that relies on video effects and wall-to-wall sound design to convey fractured points of view. Set during Pope John Paul II's 1999 visit to St. Louis, "12" is, at its best, an oblique meditation on the longing for an elusive father. There are instances of visual flair (Silverman serves as director of photography), but with its uneven performances and heavily thematic dialogue, the film doesn't have the dramatic impact it intends. Prospects are slim beyond the fest circuit.
The story's 24-hour time span begins with a drug deal at noon -- sparking the musings of Larry (Jake Koenig) on the number 12. He and his cousin Jack (Adam Longo), a fresh-faced kid on the verge of changing his life, wait in the ruins of an old stone church for their customer, a skinhead (Asa Eslocker) with whom the chemically imbalanced Larry has a less-than-believable tussle.
Jack wants to reconcile with his pregnant girlfriend (Merrie Bracken, whose performance is the weakest in the film) and break away from his cranked-up business partner (Nick Akerberg, convincingly paranoid). The popemobile makes its way around the city -- flickering TV images of the pontiff are key elements of many interior scenes -- while an unsavory father figure enters the characters' lives: mobster Heschel (Reuben O. Charles II), who has more on his mind than mere business.
Silverman makes good use of desaturated color, St. Louis locations and expressionistic music and video flourishes. Larry restlessly records everything with his video camera -- and for stretches, we too see through his darting, indiscriminate viewfinder. There's a cumulative power to this, but it's not enough to overcome the weaknesses of J. Scott Hall's script, in which characters expound on faith, God and trust with momentum-halting directness. Only in a well-orchestrated, philosophy-free scene in which Jack tells Larry a crucial bit of back story do the actors achieve a realistic chemistry.
- 10/22/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.