The Night of the 12th

The Night of the 12th (La Nuit du 12) is a 2022 mystery thriller film directed by Dominik Moll, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Gilles Marchand, based on the 2020 non-fiction book 18.3 – Une année à la PJ by Pauline Guéna. It stars Bastien Bouillon, Bouli Lanners, Anouk Grinberg, Théo Cholbi, Johann Dionnet, Thibault Evrard, Julien Frison, Paul Jeanson, Mouna Soualem and Pauline Serieys.

The Night of the 12th was released theatrically in France on 13 July 2022 by Haut et Court and in Belgium on 31 August 2022 by O'Brother Distribution. The film received 10 nominations at the 48th César Awards, winning 6, including Best Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director for Moll, Best Supporting Actor for Lanners, and Most Promising Actor for Bouillon.

Release
The Night of the 12th premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2022. It also screened in the World Cinema section of 27th Busan International Film Festival. The film was released theatrically in France on 13 July 2022 by Haut et Court and in Belgium on 31 August 2022 by O'Brother Distribution. In the United States, it was given a limited theatrical release on 19 May 2023 by Film Movement.

Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes website, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A grim, well-crafted thriller, The Night of the 12th takes a finely layered look at the toxic ripple effect of violence."

Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Alongside the two leads, the supporting cast of cops and potential culprits is a mix of unfamiliar yet highly credible faces, grounding the action in a gritty and disquieting reality."

Lissa Nesselson of Screen Daily wrote a positive review of the film, writing, "A deft and satisfying police procedural in command of its unusual tone, The Night of the 12th [...] is perfectly cast and constructed with quietly thrilling rigour."