12 and Holding

That night, Rudy and Leonard hide in their treehouse as two bullies threaten to destroy it. The bullies return and set the treehouse ablaze, unaware the youths are inside. Rudy dies offscreen while Leonard escapes, and Rudy's twin Jacob vows to seek revenge.

In the hospital, Leonard discovers he has lost his sense of taste and smell. A gym teacher pressures him to go on a diet, while his obese family resists making changes. The diagnosis intensifies the grief and drives a wedge within the family.

Malee forms a connection with Gus Maitland, a grief-stricken patient under his mother Carla's care. She visits him and begins to see him as her 'soul mate', even tweaking her recital to suit his tastes. This bond becomes a central thread for Malee's coping.

Malee slips into Gus's house at night to observe his grieving, then steals his gun and hands it to Jacob the next day. The act marks a dangerous escalation in the cycle of violence surrounding the youths.

Jacob's family fractures in the wake of Rudy's death: his mother is furious that the bullies received only a juvenile sentence, while his father sees the incident as an accident. The household splits as grief converts into anger.

Jacob spends months visiting Jeff and Kenny, threatening them for what happened. The pressure and fear culminate when Jeff commits suicide, marking a brutal turn in the cycle of violence.

Following Jeff's death, Jacob forgives Kenny, who is released earlier and heads toward New Mexico. The reconciliation is tentative, foreshadowing a dangerous alliance.

Leonard's father decides to take Leonard's sisters to Florida, while Leonard himself pushes his family toward healthier eating. The change signals a shift away from the family's previous patterns.

A dramatic gas leak at their home leaves the family hospitalized, compounding the upheaval and forcing them to confront the consequences of their grief and behavior changes.

As the story nears its climax, Jacob and Kenny form a dangerous alliance and plan an escape to New Mexico. The plan marks a turning point toward a violent conclusion.

Malee continues to visit Gus and revisits painful memories with him, deepening her reliance on their shared grief as a shield against loss.

Jacob confronts the consequences of violence when he and Kenny reunite near a construction site; Jacob grabs Gus's gun, tells Kenny 'you killed him', and fires. The act seals Kenny's fate.

Kenny is buried at a makeshift grave, and Gus spreads cement over the grave to erase the evidence of what happened. The deliberate concealment underscores the cost of violence.

Back home, Malee continues visiting her estranged father as Leonard's family slowly starts to eat healthier. Jacob returns home without explicitly narrating his actions, leaving the truth of what happened to linger beneath the surface as the film closes on grief and closure.