12 Days

Released Mar 16, 2018

1h 27m

Documentary

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95%

22 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

By French law, people who are admitted to a psychiatric hospital without their consent must be evaluated by a judge within 12 days to determine whether they are fit to be released or must continue treatment.

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dave d

As captivating as it is horrifying, '12 Days', a documentary chronicling the mentally ill in France, is subtly a punch is the gut. It's not often a filmmaker makes a bold decision to give a voice to the voiceless and that's what Raymond Depardon does as he allows us inside the hearings of people that are being involuntarily kept in mental wards of hospitals for numerous reasons. One thing is clear: once a decision is made t put you in, it's very tough to get out. This isn't for everyone, but if documentaries are your cup of tea and you have empathy to spare '12 Days' is a brisk and necessary watch. Final Score: 7.7/10

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film was really boring. I'm not even sure it should be called a documentary because all the director did was set up a camera and let it roll on some mentally ill people and the judges. I thought with a documentary a position would be made or information presented so the audience could form opinions. This film had me praying for the end to come quickly. I don't get all the positive reviews it has, doesn't make sense.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

Also called “Christmas in the Air”

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/26/17

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12 Days: Trailer 1

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Jonathan Romney

Film Comment Magazine

12 Days is most provocative when it simply gives us people and a sense of the system they inhabit, in some cases reluctantly.

Mar 29, 2018

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Richard Brody

New Yorker

The movie leaps past practical politics into ultimate philosophical realms.

Mar 19, 2018

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Manohla Dargis

New York Times

[A] lucid, focused and adamant documentary ...

Mar 15, 2018

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Robin Clifford

Reeling Reviews

Depardon's documentary does the key things: you learn about something you did not know and it is interesting.

Rated: B-

Oct 24, 2018

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James Marsh

South China Morning Post

12 Days ends with a lingering shot of a tree-lined street enveloped in thick fog. It's an obvious yet effective metaphor ... for the patients' mental conditions.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 24, 2018

Full Review

Laura Clifford

rec.arts.movies.reviews

Depardon's fly-on-the-wall approach suggests Frederick Wiseman with fewer cutaways and a more limited focus. The film is fascinating, but leaves us with many questions unanswered.

Rated: B

Jun 28, 2018

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Synopsis

By French law, people who are admitted to a psychiatric hospital without their consent must be evaluated by a judge within 12 days to determine whether they are fit to be released or must continue treatment.

Director: Raymond Depardon
Screenwriter: Raymond Depardon
Distributor: Distrib Films
Production Co: Palmeraie et Désert, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, France 2 Cinéma
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 16, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 24, 2019
Runtime: 1h 27m
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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