Diverse cast of ‘12 and Holding’
Nina (a new MMW guest contributor!)
Ignore the lukewarm reviews (and try to avoid the major plot points critics always seem to give up) and check out 12 and Holding, a bittersweet movie about four 12 year olds struggling to define themselves.
One of the main characters is a young girl named Malee Chung, daughter of single other, Dr. Chung. Malee is played by Zoe Weizenbaum, an extraordinary young actress of German/Jewish and Chinese parentage. Dr. Chung is played by Annabella Sciorra of “Jungle Fever” fame. There is no “explanation” of the daughter’s race and that was refreshing. There is one other plot point that I won’t give up that also steered clear of typical racial melodrama. Again, check out this movie.

Mark La Roi wrote:
It is so effective when an obvious difference in ethnicity is allowed to stand on it’s own rather than picked apart. It allows a person to be a person taher than an example.
Posted 26 May 2006 at 9:29 am ¶
Brad wrote:
I loved this movie. It was hilarious, tragic, and dark. The acting by the children is spectactular. I loved Zoe’s performance; her acting was spot on in its painful reflection of a child mixing and misinterpreting sexuality with a yearning for fatherly love. Zoe had me crawling in my seat in embarrassment, laughter, and sadness. If you see the film, remember Blue Oyster Cult rocks! “I’m burnin’…”
Posted 28 May 2006 at 4:28 pm ¶