Synopsis
Is there a more mysterious landscape than girlhood? This smart documentary dares to explore that increasingly intimidating terrain by following three 12-year-olds on their bumpy journeys into the future.
Over the course of a year, filmmaker Victoria King is a welcome but discreet presence in the lives of Avi, Jazmine and Jane. As we see, the girls are as different from each other as sugar and spice, but all are living through that uncertain slide from childhood to maturity.
Peer pressure plays a great role but, as the film shows, the greatest influence in a young girl's life is often family. In the case of these three girls, for the most part, that means Mom. She is in control, almost single-handedly shaping the character and determining the future of her young charge. What comes of such responsibility?

When she isn't hanging out with her girlfriends, Avi spends a lot of time studying, or trying to. She is expected to achieve nothing less than academic perfection -an admirable but difficult goal. Avi is comfortable with the camera and uses her own mini dv cam to challenge her mother about these expectations and to interview her about her own girlhood dreams. The real strength and warmth of their relationship comes out in these moments.

Jazmine's mom doesn't push her to succeed academically and gives her a lot of freedom but Jazmine faces other, more subtle pressures. Like all the moms in the film, Sherry cares about her daughter's happiness, but she must struggle with the needs of her other children and trying to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Jazmine seeks a relationship with her dad, who is estranged from the rest of the family.
Jane's 12-year-old life is equally difficult. Mom is an artist who seeks to balance her bohemian ethics with more structured rules - not always an obvious path to follow. Like the other girls, Jane has to find her own way, choosing among many different signposts.
The filmmaker, herself a mother of a young daughter, treats her subjects with sensitivity and respect. Her creative approach, including "diary-cam" footage, not only follows the girls, but allows them to question their worlds in their own voices.

Ultimately, the film reveals the complexity of being 12, both satisfying our curiosity and inviting us to ask: What happens next?


Prizes and Awards
Not specified