From the director's statement: Dosena (Twelfth) is a reflection of what it is like to raise a child in the Philippines, which is a daily struggle to protect a vulnerable mind from the ills of a society in moral decay. Be it from sex, drugs, violence, corruption, exploitation, or a mere tattoo. More than a coming-of-age story, this film is a figurative exploration of her childhood experiences, as well as a depiction of how children grow up to be sponges — absorbing everything they witness in their surroundings, and eventually losing their innocence to the ways of a profane world.
“Twelfth” is screening at Busan International Short Film Festival
Ajay is a twelve-year-old boy who is being raised by a group of punk musicians, anarchists, and tattooists, who seem to live in the borders of society, in a decrepit abandoned building. They spend their days rehearsing their songs, having tattoos, smoking drugs, or just sitting idly, under the leadership of Chito, who is also the one in charge of taking care of Ajay. The boy is also being tutored in math, but in general, he does not seem to be doing anything productive. On the night of his 12th birthday, the whole group gets together to celebrate it, but his mother, Isay, also appears. When she sees that her son has a tattoo on his hand, she blows a fuse, with dire consequences.
Essentially a cautionary tale, the 20 minutes short highlights that being cool (and punk) does not mean that you are capable of raising a child, with Ajay obviously being led to a dead-end life without even having any say in the matter. Smoking drugs and having tattoos at that age is not exactly how a kid should behave, which essentially justifies Isay's reaction when she sees what is happening. What takes place afterwards highlights the aforementioned comments in the most eloquent fashion, as violence becomes a factor in a rather shocking fashion, and drama is introduced in the short, with the finale also moving towards the same path.
Apart from the eloquent message, however, there are a number of issues here. To begin with, how long the kid has been there and why his mother has left him does not become particularly clear, or why the punks are there for that matter, in a series of gaps in the story that show that Kyla Romero definitely needed a longer film to express everything that is happening. At the same time, the presentation of the punks and anarchists, and the fact that they are prone to drinking, doing drugs and being violent is cliched (generalizing one could say), with the ending message being rather conservative in its presentation. On the other hand, the message about kids becoming the product of the setting they grow up with is well-presented as it is realistic.
Jerel Travezonda's cinematography captures the events with documentary-like realism, with the camera movement frequently matching the speed of the punk songs, in an approach that works quite well overall. His own editing results in a relatively fast pace that suits the overall aesthetics of the movie.
Regarding the acting, the one who stands out is Andrew Figueroa as Ajay, with her appearance essentially being the point the movie picks up, through the tension she brings in the narrative.
“Twelfth” has its merits, and I do not think anyone who watches it will be disappointed, but it becomes obvious that it is one of those films that were meant to be a feature, as the story and the characters suffocate in the short format.
