Police proceedings usually don’t start by saying the crime won’t be solved. But Dominik Moll’s “The Night of the 12th” does just that, then watches a French detective struggle on a murder case before reluctantly calling it quits. This is a refreshingly grounded, deceptively clear picture of crime fighting as a grind of false leads, workplace fatigue, and no closure.
When Clara, a fun-loving teenager (Lula Cotton Frapier), comes home late from a party, a hooded stranger douses her with fuel and sets her on fire. Yohan (Bastien Bouillon), an extremely square new leader of a judicial police unit, interrogates a series of sketchy and contemptuous boys Clara may have dealt with, yielding no definitive answers. Clara’s friend gives one answer that nicely sums up the misogyny of being subjected to such random brutality: It was because she was a girl.
Likely suspects emerge and then drop off; audio of phone calls is analyzed, to no avail. After a few years, a judge takes an interest in the cold case and funds new surveillance. But even though the bland Yohan seems like one of the good guys, he’s going in circles and can’t even help his burnt-out partner Marceau (Bouli Lanners).
For all the good intentions, sometimes “solving a case” just doesn’t happen, and the movie (based on a Pauline Guéna non-fiction book) actually avoids the magical thinking we’ve been absorbed by decades of macho crime. fighting yarns. Instead, it’s a matter of dealing with prolonged, slow-motion frustrations and failures – something that’s sadly closer to many common experiences than heroism.
The night of the 12th
Not judged. In French with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes. In theatres.