The Night of the 12th is a 2022 mystery thrilles film directed by Dominik Moll, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Gilles Marchand, based on the 2020 non-fiction book
IMDb rating: 7.0; Rotten tomamtes-94%
Director: Dominique Moll
Cast: Bastien Bouillon, Boulie Lanners, Johann Dionne, Julien Frison, Lula Cotton-Frappier, Mona Soalem, Paul Jeanson, Pauline Cereys, Théo Scholbi, Thibault Evrard
This is a story about an unsolved murder, akin to David Fincher’s Zodiac, and is based on Polina Gena’s book 18.3 – a year in the judicial police. The film is permeated with many social themes that give special depth.
Clara Royer returns home from her best friend Nani’s party. A figure dressed in black appears out of nowhere, says her name, pours liquid on her, and then sets her on fire. The next morning, Clara’s half-burnt body is found curled up on the grass.
Policeman Johan Vives takes over the leadership of the department, and then with his partner Marceau, they lead the investigation into Clara’s murder. There are plenty of potential suspects because it turns out that 21-year-old Clara was undemanding to partners. One interrogation follows another, despite the number of suspects, they lead detectives through a labyrinth of dead ends. Johan develops a painful obsession with the case. On the bike track, he pedals desperately, trying to get to the bottom of why this happened, where the wheels are broken. He comes to sad conclusions – violence and prejudice against women is hardwired into men’s consciousness. The problem is not only with systems, but also with people and their thinking.