Shannon Lush
This is a beautiful little film; the director and writer cracked the code and present a film that appeals to everyone, young and old. Young viewers will see parallels in their own lives while older viewers will experience the poignant moments that went on to shape and inform the people they became because of them.I very much enjoyed the bickering relationship that of course belied a deep affection between the twin sisters; any viewer with siblings will immediately be able to project their relationship with them onto the twins as depicted here. As young actors, they have a natural rhythm and flow that is refreshing to behold. Often young actors can come off too precocious and in this film the right balance is struck. They are comfortable with the material and their performances are a highlight; it is the type of film that one can simply enjoy enfolding, as the viewer is the 'third sibling' in a sense, carried along with the twins in their journeys through their young adult lives.Witty, touching, and with equal parts drama and comedic beats, this is a movie that deserves every accolade it garners. Well done from all involved.
jumpcutcontact
This film is a real delight! It appeals to kids and adults alike, as the story explores issues and themes which we are all familiar with. It is really quite extraordinary how on the mark Kenton Hall is with his writing here, creating a film which resonates so deeply with so many different people. The girls are hilarious to watch, and indeed the whole film is, for want of a better word, FUN! From start to finish, this film is a joy to watch; it's entertaining, thought-provoking without going TOO deep and it's a real signal of intent from the independent film world that small budget films can achieve great things! A must-see, and a film I will certainly watch again, and again, and again. Bravo
Cynthia Rodriguez
It's been a while since we've had a great coming-of-age movie. Between the innocence of Stand By Me and the nihilism of Breakfast Club, bildungsroman comedies in the late twentieth century made us feel connected, less isolated during our most awkward stages, cherishing our days of youth while bracing ourselves for an uncertain future. Yes, the new millennium is not short of tweenage adventures on silver screen, but there has to be a sweet spot between the apparent frivolousness of Mean Girls and the literal kick to the stomach of This is England. Something to soar our spirits as our wings start to melt due to emotional Global Warming. That's where A Dozen Summers comes into play.The first feature directed by Canadian wonder Kenton Hall, A Dozen Summers is a feel-good film that stays real to the harsh facts of life without losing its sense of adventure. It's the story of a summer in the lives of Maisie and Daisy McCormack, pre-adolescent twins on a quest to make their own movie as they navigate their relationships with friends, family and society in general.The story is, at all times, told from Maisie and Daisy's perspective, after they "kidnap" an off-voice narrator (Doctor Colin Baker) who was aiming to tell a children's tale as a distant observer, the same way David Attenborough talks about wild animals. These very wild animals are on the loose, and now you're going to witness their truths with a little help from dreams, metaphors, parodies and heavy, heavy editing. For once, the control is at their fingertips, and they're not afraid to use it.The twins are no Lindsay Lohans. There's no illusion and no stereotypical twin jokes about wearing the same outfit, holding hands at all times and finishing each other's sentences. The girls, played by real-life twins Scarlett and Hero Hall, are autonomous people with diverse life interests and even different growth patterns. While Maisie has crushes and spends ages buying jeans, Daisy's most heartbreaking concern is that they're not making a horror movie instead. A ghost girl who eats all the teachers? I'd watch that, honestly. Twice.Kenton is their father on and off-screen, but there's no whiff of favouritism either way. The same level of professionalism can be seen through the entire cast, young and less young alike. Many things can go wrong with underage/vulnerable talent, but those children set an example and show a broader range of performances than a few Academy Award nominees.This is not just a children's story. From constant subplots and stillness, we learn that growing pains never cease. The adults go through their personal journeys, hidden from those who look up to them. When the kids leave, there is sighing, smirking, staring at unknown distances. Grown ups are left to their own devices, now with permission to stop pretending that they've got their wits together. Between classes, the teachers reflect. When the noisy students leave the shop, the attendant can't seem to cope with sudden silence. The mother, played by Sarah Warren, fights this constant loneliness through a string of peculiar romances. The father, on the other hand, only seems to find solace in the big nothing. When his children go to school, he tells the camera to go on then, keep filming the girls, not him. After all, it's their story. Right? Or is it everyone's story?For a brave little indie family film, A Dozen Summers seems to be reaching places. It has been shown at festivals in places as distant as the US, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Ukraine and Chile. For several months in 2015, it was commercially screened in theatres all over Great Britain, including a successful couple of summer weekends at the Phoenix, the finest indie cinema in the film's hometown Leicester. Several external locations were shot in the Cultural Quarter, so it's fair and necessary to see the results around here.What are you waiting for, then? Support local, indie, transnational, immaculate storytelling for all ages. It's finger-snapping good.
