12

Russia, 2007, 153 minutes, Colour.
Nikita Mikhalkov, Sergei Makovetsky, Sergei Garmash.
Directed by Nikita Mikhalkov.

12 is a very powerful film directed by one of the greatest of contemporary Russian directors, Nikita Mikahlkov (Burnt by the Sun).

It is a remake and expansion of Paddy Chayefsky’s Twelve Angry Men (1957), directed by Sidney Lumet. (The film was remade in the late 90s by William Friedkin starring Jack Lemmon).

The original film, based on a television play, confined itself to the jury room with the 12 angry men. Henry Fonda played the juror who raised questions about the evidence received - 1 against 11. Lee J. Cobb stood out amongst other character actors as the virulent prejudiced juror.

Mikahlkov has kept this basic structure - and has often kept very close to the characters as well as some of the details of the evidence in this version. However, 50 years later, he has expanded the context considerably. This time the killing is allegedly done by a Chechnian youth, adopted by a Russian military man, who was murdered by the son according to witnesses. The film opens with scenes of death and disaster in Chechnya, continually goes back to the childhood of the boy, his growing up, relationship with his own father, mother and his being rescued by his Russian ‘Uncle’ and being taken to Moscow to live with him. The film also has some very graphic war scenes especially with tracer fire between buildings which nobody can escape. The film also emphasises the prisoner - and in the cold of his cell he starts to move, to dance (very much with the rhythms and styles of Billy Elliot).

Mikahlkov takes a key role himself as the second juror, the Henry Fonda character. This is a very powerful film about law, mercy, judicial procedures, the individual characters and prejudices and background of particular jurors and how this influences their immediate decisions. It also shows the detail of discussion, re-enactment, re-examination of evidence - and the clashes between the jurors themselves. It ends very positively with the president of the jury taking on a responsibility for the boy where all the other jurors found themselves too busy. In many ways this is a profound Russian film and has strong Russian issues, especially prejudice against Chechnya. However, it speaks to a universal audience.

1.The impact of this film? Worldwide audience? Russian audiences? After the Soviet collapse? In view of the Chechnya crisis? The aftermath of the crisis?

2.The basis in Twelve Angry Men? The use of the plot, the jurors, characters, interactions? An updated version of Twelve Angry Men?

3.The added context of Chechnya: the past, the young boy, his relationship with his mother and father, the credits and his riding the bike, urging his mother to speak Russian? His Russian uncle? The war, the laser-shooting, the horror, his parents killed? Rescued by the Russian? Taken to Moscow? Adopted? The recurring scenes of Chechnya and the warfare? The dead?

4.The drama of Chechnya and its effects on people, on the Russians, on attitudes, bigotry?

5.The room, the gym, its size, the table and chairs, the furnishings? The use, confined space, freedom of movement? The musical score?

6.The credits: the words of prosecutor and defence, issues of verdict? The judge, the comments, the jurors listening, filing out, the marshal taking them to the school, through the kids, the urgency to leave, the settling in?

7.The drama of the jurors, the initial vote, the one not guilty vote, the old man in the toilet and his voting not guilty, Jewish background? The president and the process, the looking at the witnesses, the documents, the boy not speaking Russian, anti-Caucasus and anti-Chechen prejudice, the old man and the taking so long to get to the window, the woman and her jealousy? The re-enactment in the house? The re-enactment of the stabbing? The variety of hypotheses – including the developers framing the boy? The change of attitudes? The role of the president and the end?

8.The interactions, initially jovial, hurrying to leave, presuming guilt, the emerging of the hostilities, tensions, one man being ill, the clown, the marshal and his coming in and out, providing data, her blackouts, the lights, the lamps?

9.The jurors themselves, ordinary men, equal as jurors, the various professionals, non-professionals, the build-up of the revelations, personal characters, back-stories, use and abuse of each other’s stances?

10.The president, quiet, efficient, clarifying the early votes, his presiding, the final vote?

11.The juror who wanted not guilty: his vote, his explanations of being fair, the immediate reactions, the hostile taxi driver, others listening? His listening, the story of his invention, patriotism, not selling it overseas, the failure, his drinking, losing his wife and child, being in the gutter, the kindly woman and her child, marrying them? His work for Japanese-Russian? relationships? Unable to finally help because of his involvement? His hypotheses, the reconstruction, his enthusiasm?

12.The surgeon, coming from the Caucasus, his being insulted by the taxi driver’s prejudice, re-enacting the stabbing from below, the knife dance and throwing the knife?

13.The comedian, his resentment at the taxi driver laughing, his tour, stand-up comedy, his pathos in the story of when he got a smile?

14.The Jewish man, his explanation of himself – and his response to the bigoted outburst?

15.The undertaker, his poems, being on the take about rain and the headstones?

16.The man who went to Harvard, the private television station, wanting to look at his mother, his being harassed by the taxi driver, even to being sick?

17.The construction worker, his awkwardness in speaking, his background story and bringing him back to the point? The man whose brother was killed by drugs and throwing the needle? The various attacks, detachment, biased attitudes?

18.The taxi driver, his long speech, bigoted, in a hurry, sure of himself, the huge anti-Semitic outburst, his prejudice against Chechnyans, therefore against the boy, people from the Caucasus? The challenge by the clown? The re-enactment of the stabbing? His revelation about his son, his son almost committing suicide? His change of heart?

19.The change, the president, the issue of whether the boy would be safer in jail or out? The jurors being too busy to help and represent the boy?

20.The final judgment, the president, not guilty? His looking after the boy, asking him to identify the perpetrators – and the freeze-frames indicating them as they left the court? Offering him a home? The background of his being an artist, a former Russian officer?

21.The initial and final quotes about truth – and especially about compassion?