When a 12-year-old Catholic schoolboy discovers girls and questions the existence of Hell in 1964, it sets off a firestorm of repercussions for the nuns and a priest at school that can only be resolved with the help of his four wildly ill-behaved brothers.

SYNOPSIS:

There comes a moment in every life when childhood certainty gives way to doubt—when you stop believing everything your parents and teachers tell you, and somehow transform from a sweet kid into a smart-ass. For TOMMY STOHLGREN, that moment arrives in 1964, the day before his twelfth birthday.

During religion class at his Catholic school in Oakland, California, Tommy finally speaks up. If God is all-loving and all-merciful, he reasons, how could Hell exist? His logic does not impress SISTER MARY-SOMETHING, but it does earn a smile from classmate STEPHANIE CROMARTIE—and marks the exact moment Tommy notices girls for the first time. He is promptly dragged to Mother Superior’s office, and his troubles are officially underway.

Tommy is the second-oldest of five brothers—JIMMY (13½), GEORGIE (10½), JERRY (8½), and BILLY (almost 7)—all of whom attend the same Catholic school and share a bedroom in their small house. Their wildly ill-behaved antics provide both comic relief and unexpected wisdom as Tommy navigates a tumultuous week that will change his life forever.

His debut as an altar boy goes disastrously wrong, despite the support of his best friend JOHNNY GIUNTOLI (11), a well-meaning but equally confused moral compass. Meanwhile, questioning Church doctrine triggers a cascade of consequences involving nuns, priests, and his devout parents, who were raised never to question their faith.

Seeking answers beyond the Bible and the Baltimore Catechism, Tommy finds guidance in unlikely places: a young Latino priest, a woman at the public library, and the encyclopedias in the school library. As he learns that “the unexamined life is not worth living,” his curiosity deepens—and so does the trouble he finds himself in.

Over the course of one comical and introspective week, Tommy becomes an accidental champion of critical thinking. Growing up, questioning authority, and learning to think for yourself come at a cost—but for Tommy, the dividends are worth it.

TWELVE - MY AGE OF REASON