The Night of the 12th
In nearly every police precinct, detectives are inevitably confronted with a case that goes unsolved. The more heinous the crime, the more it haunts those whose duty it is solve it. Such is the dilemma for Yohan Vivès—a young, recently promoted police Captain—when he begins investigating the gruesome murder of a young women named Clara in the town of Grenoble. It's clear that the attack was pre-meditated, and the violent nature of the crime suggests revenge. Vivés' team methodically digs through the details of Clara's life, uncovering her secrets in hopes of weeding out the killer. Certain their suspect is a scorned ex-lover, Vivés is confronted with another, more complicated question: which one? Based on a true crime book by Pauline Guéna, The Night of the 12th is a gritty mystery that's "both highly effective and brilliantly acted, where procedures and mindsets reveal a frayed society" (Cineuropa), posing uneasy questions about the male-dominated world of law enforcement, and their ability to handle the violent crimes routinely perpetrated against women victims.
Director & Cast
- Director: Dominik Moll
- Starring: Bastien Bouillon
- Starring: Bouli Lanners
- Starring: Anouk Grinberg
- Starring: Mouna Soualem
- Starring: Pauline Serieys
Where to Watch
Trailer

Photos
Reviews
- "Critic’s Pick! A refreshingly grounded picture of crime-fighting."
- "A brooding, serpentine investigative drama that brings to mind movies like Zodiac and Memories of Murder, [A] taut and piercing thriller...."
- "Movies like Zodiac use their tales of serial killers on the loose to suggest an inchoate, growing sense of evil that corrupts institutions and human relationships. The Night of the 12th is more modest. It’s only about one murder. What makes it so chilling, however, is the way it connects that crime, and its lack of a solution, to a profoundly diseased social dynamic. If other movies of this type end on the troubling idea that the killer could be anybody, The Night of the 12th dares to suggest that the killer, in some ways, is all of us."
- "A deft and satisfying police procedural in command of its unusual tone, The Night of the 12th (La Nuit du 12) is perfectly cast and constructed with quietly thrilling rigour."
- "The Night Of The 12th will emotionally exhaust audiences and get under their skin with its haunting ending…It may be time the police procedural made an arthouse comeback"
- "Always engaging, with Bouillon and Lanners both tearing into their respective roles with relish. A moody and fascinating piece of work."
- "French film-maker Dominik Moll has given us a gripping true-crime procedural, a desolate study of the ubiquity of evil and misogynist violence and the abyss of unknowing into which everyone finds themselves gazing... a brutally engrossing drama."
- "With its economical storytelling and sharply drawn characters, The Night of the 12th is an immensely watchable crime film."
- "Dominik Moll crafts a French-style Zodiac, an ensemble police investigation both highly effective and brilliantly acted, where procedures and mindsets reveal a frayed society."
- "The Night of the 12th morphs from a fascinating procedural, in which the continuous dead ends affect the psyches of the investigators, into a sadly damning portrayal of innate misogyny."
- "This is an iron-grip film from minute one, an unbearably tense procedural that is punctuated by outbursts of anger and moments of achingly sad candour."
- "The Night of the 12th is a feature to sleuth along with, as Moll's second whodunnit in a row, but it's also a picture to sink into as its stark truths inhabit everything seen and heard."
- "Even though we know this is the story of an unsolved case, we constantly feel as if a breakthrough might be hiding around every corner. On the surface, the movie is a deadpan police procedural in which the detectives employ all the usual techniques to track down a murderer. On a deeper level, it’s a profoundly disturbing plunge into the dark recesses of the human psyche."
- "While a specific killer may not be unmasked, toxic masculinity and its co-conspirator the patriarchal society stand in the dock - and the case against them is damning."
- "A skillfully turned French crime picture…[The Night of the 12th] suggests that what makes this murder case especially interesting is not whodunnit, but the sexual politics underlying the crime and the investigation."
- "... one of the most unorthodox and original police procedurals I’ve ever seen. It eschews convention and steadfastly ignores the recognized tropes of the crime mystery blueprint. For those reasons alone, it should be seen by all fans of that genre."
- "It’s almost bold of director Dominik Moll and screenwriter Gilles Marchand to center their film so much around both the male perspective and flawed, albeit noble cop protagonists, and intriguing how Night of the 12th flips this on its head by having them get lost in the abyss of the case by simply feeling like bureaucrats: detective work more about filing reports and getting the printer to work than anything actually productive or satisfying."
Best Film
César Awards
Best Director
César Awards
Best Adapted Screenplay
César Awards
Best Male Newcomer
César Awards
Best Supporting Actor
César Awards
Best Sound
César Awards
Best Film
Lumières Awards
Best Screenplay
Lumières Awards
Cannes Film Festival
Jerusalem Film Festival
Closing Night Film
American French Film Festival
CINEMANIA Film Festival
Philadelphia Film Festival
Now Playing
Venue |
City |
State |
Begins |
|
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Quad Cinema | New York | NY | May 19, 2023 | |
Laemmle Royal | Los Angeles | CA | June 9, 2023 | |
Fountain Theater | Mesilla | NM | June 9, 2023 | |
Metro Cinema | Edmonton | AB | June 9, 2023 | |
Cinema Art Theatre | Fairfax | VA | June 9, 2023 | |
Laemmle's Town Center 5 | Encino | CA | June 9, 2023 | |
Laemmle Glendale | Glendale | CA | June 9, 2023 | |
Tallahassee Film Society | Tallahassee | FL | June 10, 2023 | |
TIFF Bell Lightbox | Toronto | ON | June 13, 2023 | |
French American Cultural Society | San Francisco | CA | June 13, 2023 | |
ByTowne Cinemas | Ottawa | ON | June 16, 2023 | |
Grand Illusion Cinema | Seattle | WA | June 16, 2023 | |
Harkins Shea 14 | Scottsdale | AZ | June 16, 2023 | |
a/perture cinema | Winston Salem | NC | June 16, 2023 | |
New Plaza Cinema | New York | NY | June 16, 2023 | |
Avalon Theatre | Washington | DC | June 21, 2023 | |
Grail Moviehouse | Asheville | NC | June 23, 2023 | |
The Dairy Center for the Arts | Boulder | CO | June 28, 2023 | |
Wexner Center for the Arts | Columbus | OH | June 29, 2023 | |
Portland Museum of Art | Portland | ME | July 7, 2023 | |
Harris Theater | Pittsburgh | PA | July 21, 2023 | |
Woodward Theater | Cincinnati | OH | July 31, 2023 | |
Cleveland Cinematheque | Cleveland | OH | August 10, 2023 |