The documentary follows two 12-year old boys who are serving life sentences for murder. It uses interviews and archival footage to tell the story of their crime, arrest, and adjustment to prison life. Eerie non-diagetic music and camera noises are incorporated throughout to add an unsettling tone. Graphics and mise-en-scene, like the boys' clean prison cells contrasted with their families' homes, enhance the viewing experience. The documentary has a beginning that introduces the crime and its impact, a middle with interviews of the boys in prison, and an end showing how their imprisonment affects all involved over time.

1. 12 year old lifer

2. Themes
The main theme of this documentary was
growing up and life in prison.

3. Sound
Non-diagetic eerie music is used quite
frequently throughout the documentary
which is effective as it makes you feel un-easy.
A camera noise is used whenever a picture of
the young boys and father are flashed onto
the screen which makes it more interesting to
watch.
Diagetic sound of cars and nightlife are used
when showing the boys in Peru.

4. Graphics
The graphics used in the documentary are placed in the
middle of the screen in a white bold font which
makes it look unusual but effective as it is eye
catching.
The documentaries title is placed on a white brick wall
which represents the boys are in prison.

5. Mise en scene
All of the interviews that took place were in the relevant setting
to do with that person i.e
The young boys were in prison cells
The boys teachers were in a school classroom
The boys mothers and sisters were shown at their home.
The police officers who caught the boys are in a police station.
When interviewing the boys in their cells they are spotlessly
clean and everything in their cells are white which shows a
strong contrast when seeing an interview with their parents
where they are in their houses.
The setting of a park is used quite frequently when their mothers
and teachers are talking about how young they are as the
park is used to reinforce that.

6. Camera work
A tracking shot of the young boys is used when they are
getting arrested by the police and handcuffed.
There are many establishing shots of the town were the
boys grew up which makes the town look peaceful and
a nice neighbourhood.
When the boys are being taken back home, there is a lot
of extreme long shots of Peru’s nightlife which
reinforces the fact that the boys shouldn't be there and
how young they are.
When the police go to the crime scene there is an
extreme close up of the police tape.

7. Archive footage
At the start of the documentary images of the boys
mug shots when they got arrested flashed on the
screen followed by pictures of them now, three
years later and in prison. There is also pictures
throughout of the boys with their families and
the man they killed.
There are three different news reporters outside
the scene of the crime talking about how the 12
year olds ‘slayed’ his step-father.
There is archive footage of the boys being
interviewed by the police and confessing.

8. Editing
There is fade in/out’s when the boys are running
away to Peru and at the end of the
documentary after they find out they will be
spending the majority of their lives in prison.

9. Narrative
Beginning: is the story of what the boys did to Colt’s
step-father and how. It shows interviews with
both separate families and how they feel about
the young boys.
Middle: is interviews with Paul and Colt and how
life in prison is and what happened on the night
of the murder.
End: shows how it has effected the families and
Paul and Colt adjusting to prison life and moving
up to an adult prison.