Twelve and Holding

Aroview: A dark yet heart-rending coming-of-age indie drama concerning a group of pre-teens coping with life in the aftermath of a friend's death.

The children of three families refuse to find solace in adults and try to solve life’s little problems in their own potentially disastrous way. The dialogue and behaviour feels authentic as conveyed by its young novice cast, and though it veers toward melodrama, it’s unerring in its depiction of the confusion of growing up the hard way.

NZ International Film Festival 2006