No. 89 (2022) ON THE NIGHT OF THE 12th. (LA NUIT DU 12) October 30th.

 

Film No. 89 (2022)  October  30th.  4.00 PM   Cinema 8.  LUNA,  Leederville.

 

"We fight evil by writing reports". (Marceau dejectedly talks about the repetitive nature of his job; the job of solving crimes). 

Nominee : Official Competition (Dominik Moll)  Brussels and Cannes Film Festivals.

One of my favourite films of 2022, LA NUIT DU 12, takes cinema lovers into the world of policing and the people who solve crimes. 

We follow a  team of french detectives, led by Yohan Vives (moodily played by Bastien Bouillon) who work towards solving the cruel murder of Clara Royer, a  vivacious young girl with the world at her feet. The backdrop is a large slightly tired French metropolis on the outskirts of Paris. The key to the film's captivating quality is the intimacy with which we are drawn to the characters. Yohan is easy to like and root for.

All the tropes of a good police procedural drama are in play here, even though we are told in the opening caption, the crime (fictional, based on an event) will remain unsolved. Don't let this reveal stop you from experiencing THE 12TH. Every scene leads us with precision towards understanding the toll a case like this has on people under stress. 

I wondered why this atmospheric gem was in its 5th week at my local cinema. What film lasts more than 3 weeks on the big screen these days? Good films, via word-of-mouth, that rapidly gain a reputation, that's what! LA NUIT DU 12 is one such film.  11GUMS.