'The Twelve' (De Twaalf) Spoiler-Free Review: Compelling slow-burner thrills with a suspenseful plotline
Spoilers for 'The Twelve' (De Twaalf)
There's something gloomy about 'The Twelve'. It feels like a lot of things don't add up and it doesn't until the penultimate moment. There's gripping suspense, intrigue and this horrible, hollow feeling in the stomach as one woman is scrutinized in detail while on trial. It's just that her answers do more than just help 12 jurors make a decision. And while they are at it, they also battle personal demons that come to life the deeper the case goes.
The Flemish crime drama comes across as complex, partly due to the fact that it involves multiple storylines and there isn't a moment of fun or wry humor for that matter. It explores the story of a torrid and heartless crime viewed from the lens of the 12 jury members. 'The Twelve' is a rather longwinded tale of the domino effect of the juror's decisions and how the verdict will impact their already troubled lives. It's a fresh script and a new take on courtroom drama.
Director Wouter Bouvijn along with writers Bert Van Dael and Sanne Nuyens explores the story of Frida Palmer (Maaike Cafmayer), a woman accused of murdering her own child and her best friend. Her part of the story gets outlined in the pilot episode. For the jurors, the simple condition is to be impartial in their decisions. The remainder of the 10-episode series is all about the classic whodunit as the layers unfold in the form of some jarring testimonials. The x-factor for 'The Twelve' is the suspense it maintains.
There's Delphine Spijkers (Maaike Neuville) as one of the jurors. A mother of three who is in a sour and toxic relationship with her husband. Yuri is a man struggling to come to terms with an accident at his construction site, Noel (Piet De Praitere) is another character struggling with addiction issues. These jurors become pivotal and get a major chunk of the screentime as the series progresses. One of the reasons we could deduce the reason for the series to have 10 episodes while it could have ideally be done with six is the character detailing.
Each episode delves into the jurors' flashbacks and the aftermath intertwines with the case they see in court. In the end, it all boils down to the various perspectives. There's no mincing the fact 'The Twelve' is a slow burner. But the attention to detail and the amount of research done lessens the feeling of sitting through an arduous tale.
'The Twelve' is currently available for streaming on Netflix.