RATING: 3.75/5 Bag
of Chips
This month, crime drama fans are treated by Netflix with its new release, The Twelve, from Belgium. All ten episodes were directed by Wouter Bouvijn and written by Sanne Nuyens and Bert Van Dael. One may be reminded of Sidney Lumet’s film ’12 Angry Men,’ a fair comparison given the subject matter and its themes of moral and philosophical exploration. Is it worth the Netflix binge?
THE SERIES
Frie Palmers (Maaike Cafmeyer) is accused of two horrendous murders that are almost two decades apart: the deaths of her best friend Brechtje Vindevogel (Lynn Van Royen) and Frie’s daughter Roos (Estelle Sys). Dubbed as the ‘Trial of the Millennium,’ the intriguing case has brought a jury of twelve – plus two substitutes – to decide Frie’s fate based on the evidence and arguments presented in court.
The case also entangles with the lives of people around Frie, including her ex-husband and Roos’ father Stefaan de Munck (Johan Heldenbergh) and his current wife Margot (Greet Verstraete), as well as Brechtje’s father, animal rights activist Marc (Koen De Sutter). Adding more storytelling layers to the already intriguing series premise, The Twelve also peeks at the personal lives of some of the members of the jury, including emotionally abused housewife Delphine (Maaike Neuville), lonely zookeeper Arnold (Peter Gorissen), troubled father Carl (Zouzou Ben Chikha), guilt-ridden businessman Joeri (Tom Vermeir), house invasion survivor Holly (Charlotte De Bruyne) and recovering sex addict Noel (Piet De Praitere).
MY OPINION
All ten episodes of this slow-burn, character-driven series are equally gripping, with the main cast members delivering powerful, realistic performances that hook viewers into wanting to see more of their personal lives, on top of finding the truth about Frie Palmers’ strange case. The acting is the element I enjoyed most in this series, and it is certainly enthralling to see well-controlled and subdued actors essay developed three-dimensional characters without resorting to histrionics and melodrama, then deliver highly emotional scenes.
The writers also did an incredible job of neatly intertwining these web of narratives, that could have been confusing or jarring if handled by those less capable. Viewers are kept hooked enough into the series’ main arc – the Palmers case, by showing quick flashbacks that show bits and pieces of the truth. In the end, we are left with just as much as the jury members know, and we feel involved in the decision as if we’re in the room ourselves.
The only major nitpick I have is with the title of the show itself. Despite its title, the show only really focuses on a few of the jury members, with the rest being total backgrounders that I can’t even recall the names of. Aside from that, the main story’s focus is still on Frie Palmers’ alleged crimes. But as I said, this is a nitpick that I just thought of while thinking of a few negative points to discuss, and did not detract from my enjoyment in watching the series at all.
THE WRAP-UP
If you are looking for a faster-paced, minute-by-minute plot development, you may find yourself a bit bored with the series’ deliberately slow pace. But if you love watching character-driven dramas and TV courtroom confrontations, The Twelve is definitely for you. It has well-written characters, well-constructed narratives and great acting performances galore, so you’d definitely enjoy every bit of the 10-episode journey.