La notte del 12

On the surface, this French Best Picture Cesar Award winner appears to be a straight police procedural about a case of a young woman brutally killed on her way home from a girl's night out. Dominik Moll's (WITH A FRIEND LIKE HARRY) adaption of Pauline Guera's non-fiction book about a true case changes the setting from Paris to Grenoble in the French Alps (Gilles Marchand collaborated with Moll on the script). Taking the story out of the hustle and bustle of the big city gives the movie more of an intimate flavor.

The two main cops on the case are a crusty older policeman Marceau (Bouli Lanners) and the younger new head of the squad, Yohan (Bastien Bouillon). The murder victim, Clara (Lula Cotton-Frapier), at first seems like a typical 21 year old - happy and well-liked. As the investigation continues they discover that she had a series of risky encounters with various guys. As more and more men are revealed, the more vexing the case becomes for instead of narrowing the potential pool of suspects, it widens them.

The frustration makes Marceau increasingly edgy. He is going through his own relationship issues and tarts to crack, lashing out at the potential killers. Yohan on the other hand, becomes more introspective, more intense. While many in the department and the public begin pointing the finger at the victim, Clara, Yohan feels more and more protective of the dead woman. It all increases his obsession with the case - and Clara's memory and reputation.

The decision to move the location to a smaller town is a wise one. Not only does it allow a more personal touch, it virtually eliminates the notion that it was some random killing as you would have in a metropolis like Paris. Everybody knows everyone in the area, but they seem oblivious about what secrets are happening all around them. Lanners and Bouillon are very good, as is Pauline Sereiys as Clara's best friend. Later on, two strong women characters, a Judge (Anouk Grinberg) and a fellow police officer (Mouna Soualem) enter the investigation and buttress Yohan's compulsion for the case.

NIGHT OF THE 12TH is a strong and disturbing drama. It may not satisfy those who want easy answers, but it realistically shows the frustrations inherent in police work and reality that justice isn't a guarantee for all.

A new movie by Dominick Moll is to be seen, his movies being rich with surprising details. This night of the 12 is the police investigation about the violent death of Clara, a young woman who had love relations with real weird young men looking for dangerous sensations, as it often happens nowadays. Yes, the young people we see are not socially stable, most of them are real completely lost misfits. And it's quite frightening as Clara's parents are well established and happy together. This discomfort also happens in the police who has more and more difficulties to understand this new deranged society. And we understand how important are the methods for searching the unknown, and the judge played by Anouk Grinberg is important. In this realistic portrait of our modern society, the entire cast play wonderfully, with a special bravo to Bastien Bouillon as the determined police captain and Pierre Lottin as a frightening kind of hooligan.

This movie follows a police crew trying to figure out a gruesome murder that happens for no obvious reason or motive.

The build up and atmosphere are great, keeping us engaged and wondering - who killed that young, charismatic girl? Acting is superb and the suspense keeps you on your toes till the very end with a climax that is adequate and realistic.

I am doing my best not to give away the whole plot or the ending so I'll just leave it at that.

Really worth checking out.

9 out of 10 from me.

French filmmakers are the kings of realistic cop films. Here's another story of a detective haunted by a difficult case. The resolution is spoiled in the very first credits, so the expectations are clearly set from the start. That doesn't make the investigation process any less interesting, with good characters, good dialogues and an enthralling pace that resembles the drifty focus of a detective working overtime.

It had me glued to the screen. Then, suddenly, after some timely reflections on male violence, several female characters appear out of nowhere and become the ones with the good ideas, the initiative, the answers, the ones in control of their emotions... it's not subtle at all. There are several allusions to the ineffective police work of male detectives specifically. At first it didn't bother me because the script is intelligent, on the whole, and not at all the usual Hollywood schmaltz, but this abrupt shift in content, tone and style is off-putting, the narrative becomes blatant, as if it was written by someone else. These scenes are added to the more or less fictionalised account of real events, I don't know, it certainly feels like something "added" to find a solution to the plot.

This does not affect the point they're making though, it's a strong one, presented here as in no other film I know of, with a case that speaks for itself. At the heart of the violence there is also a place for the police, and they're both full of men. It elevates the film, regardless of one's opinion on the late, abrupt loss of subtlety.

A life is cruelly taken in the night, no opportunity to run, to flee, to flight, doused in something that is lit, the flames engulf, force to submit, while the killer watches on, they lose their fight. The police investigate, pursue their leads, turns out there's many might have done the evil deed, but the evidence is weak, no matter where or how they seek, the perpetrator's not been caught and remains free.

The frustrations of the police investigating the brutal murder of Clara are brought to light as they struggle to track down her killer. It's an engaging enough piece of filmmaking but I thought it just ran out of steam towards the end and you're left just as dissatisfied as the investigating officers at the conclusion.