Directed by Nikita Mikhalkov, 12 is a gripping and very thoughtful film that has much to say. The film, made is Russia, is based on the Sidney Lumet’s directorial debut, “12 Angry Men” and also from Reginald Rose’s CBS teleplay of the same name. Mikhalkov, who also is an actor in the film, received an Academy Award nomination for the film in 2008 for Best Foreign Language Film.
The film begins by following a person running down a flight of stairs. The Camera is close up on the feet. The film then cuts to a statement which says, “Seek the truth not in the mundane details of daily life but in the essence of life itself.”
Shortly later, the film then cuts to the court room where the judge is telling the jury that the must now deliberate and come to a guilty or not-guilty vote which must be unanimous. The case is about a young eighteen-year-old Chechen boy who is accused of murdering his step father. The bailiff then takes them to a school gym where there is a table set up. This is due to the renovations that is happening at the court house. The Bailiff then tells them that this will only take twenty minutes. Clearly, everyone thinks that the young boy is guilty. The Jurors sit at the table and joke and talk. We find out here about what they do. One is a comic, a TV producer, a cab driver, a surgeon, a holocaust survivor, and so on.
When they finally get down to business, an older guy, played by Mikhalkov, acts as the foreman and they raise their hands to vote on guilty or not-guilty. Mikhalkov starts by asking the group to raise their hands if they think the boy is guilty. Eleven of the twelve raise their hands. The group is puzzled that the engineer did not raise his hand and they ask him why. He simply tells them that this was to fast and he wants to talk about it.
From this point on, each of the twelve members goes on and talks about some event, good or bad, that has happened in their life. These stories eventually change their verdicts from guilty to not guilty. These stories include stories about alcoholism and redemption, one of the juror’s father winning the love of a Nazi SS officer’s wife. Also, one of the jurors, who is a transit worker, tells a story about how his uncle improvised a hostage crisis.
Eventually, the jury decides that the boy did not murder his step father. In doing so, they uncover that a giant company was behind the murder of the boy’s step father and they set him up. They did this because they were building expensive condos next to the building where they lived and the step father refused to leave.
The film deals with a lot of themes. These themes range from anti-semitism, tolerance, corruption, the faults of the justice system, and war. In the movie, the cab driver makes anti-semitic remarks to the older Jewish man because he votes to acquit on the second vote. In the movie, about halfway through, a bird enters the gym. This bird symbolizes tolerance in the film. Also, another theme is the faultiness of the justice system which could send a person not guilty of a crime to jail for the rest of his life. Lastly, the film touches upon the them of war and the cruelty and pointlessness of the war. This is shown in flashbacks the boy has of his life in Chechnya and the tragedy and horror he suffered when the war broke out there.
12 is a very engaging film. it takes place mostly in the gym. However, it does cut to flashbacks of the boy’s life in Chechnya. The cinematography is great in the film and captures the grittiest of a war-torn Chechnya. The music is the film is also well made. It is very solemn and adds a great deal to the tone of the film. The acting is the film’s strongest point. Most of the actors in the film, come from theatrical backgrounds. This shows a great deal as they use the gym like it is a stage. Furthermore, the actors bring real emotion and life to their characters as they each tell their personal and heartfelt stories. Lastly, the direction is very good by Nikita Mikhalkov. He uses a lot of blocked camera moves and allows his actors to play to the camera like it is the audience right there in the room with them.
Overall, 12 is a film worthy of its oscar nomination and is a film that should be seen for its wonderful acting, direction, and dialogue.
No comments:
Post a Comment