A loose remake of 12 Angry Men (1957), set in a Russian school. 12 jurors are struggling to decide the fate of a Chechen teenager who allegedly killed his Russian stepfather. Stepfather took teenager to live with him to Moscow, during Chechnya war, in which teenager lost his parents. The jurors: a racist taxi-driver, a suspicious doctor, a vacillating TV producer, a Holocaust survivor, a flamboyant musician, a cemetery manager, and others represent the fragmented society of modern day Russia.A stray bird (a touch of New Age cinema) is flying above the jurors’ heads, alluding to tolerance.

Remember last year’s Oscars, when writer-director Nikita Mikhalkov’s thriller vied for the Foreign Language trophy against the unbeatable Counterfeiters? Hopefully word-of-mouth will keep 12 in theaters for a while, because neither the press nor the studio is paying the film much attention during the busy awards season. However! Russian film is still in the spotlight thanks to Admiral, and Mikhalkov’s developing a sequel to his Oscar-winning Burnt by the Sun. See you next year, Nikita?

Rated PG-13 for violent images, disturbing content, thematic material, brief sexual and drug references, and smoking.

Director: Nikita Mikhalkov
Stars: Sergei Makovetsky, Sergey Garmash, Apti Magamaev
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Release Date: 4 March 2009 (USA)
Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller | War

François and his fellow teachers prepare for a new year at a high school in a tough neighborhood. Armed with the best intentions, they brace themselves to not let discouragement stop them from trying to give the best education to their students. Cultures and attitudes often clash in the classroom, a microcosm of contemporary France. As amusing and inspiring as the teenaged students can be, their difficult behavior can still jeopardize any teacher’s enthusiasm for the low-paying job. François insists on an atmosphere of respect and diligence. Neither stuffy nor severe, his extravagant frankness often takes the students by surprise. But his classroom ethics are put to the test when his students begin to challenge his methods…

Last time we heard from writer-director Laurent Cantet, his Heading South was steaming up bifocals in older-generation hotspots across the country. Now he’s back in some sort of Michael Apted mode with a quasi-documentary that won the Golden Palm at Cannes earlier this year. That victory, of course, lends itself to polarized reviews from the most insightful critics around.

Rated PG-13 for language.

Director: Laurent Cantet
Stars: François Bégaudeau
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Release Date: 24 September 2008 (France)