Russia; Cinema

‘12’ is a Russian film from 2007 directed by Nikita Mikhailkov. It is a remake of the American film, ‘Twelve Angry Men’.


The story is that of a group of Russian men, drawn from all walks of life and brought together to decide the fate of a young Chechen man accused of murdering his adoptive father a Russian officer and veteran of that conflict.


It begins with the consensus of guilt, disrupted by a lone juror and proceeds through their deliberations as they reflect on the
case and how it
relates to their experiences.  One by one they turn until they deliver unanimous ‘not guilty’ verdict.


The film offers interesting insight into what is presented as the lives of average Russians of different strata of society. Their experiences, prejudices and their values are presented as they struggle with the decision about the young man's fate.

Comedy: Irony of Fate. It seems Russian cinema is not all that different from Hollywood. Of the films I saw, both of them were remakes. It seems nobody has fresh ideas. The first was, of course, ‘12’ a Russian remake of the American ‘12 Angry Men’. The comedy, Irony of Fate, was a post communist remake of the 1975 film of the same title. I chose it because it was at the time the highest grossing Russian film ever. A sign that it has some resonance with Russian audiences.

The 2007 remake is actually sort of a sequel that uses a clever plot device to retell the same story - only the protagonists are the children of the original characters. In a stroke of marketing genius those original actors return to play their characters, now the parents of the protagonists, some 30 years later.

It was interesting to compare the two films. The plot is two men vying for the affections of a woman. In 1975 the loser was nondescript. In 2007 he is an overly connected money-first businessman. The sensitive doctor/poet wins both times. An interesting note about 2007 the level of drunkenness goes through the roof. Most of the supporting characters are drunk. What does that say?