August Movie Reviews (The Night of the 12th, Chevalier, The Babadook)

This past month, I’ve watched a French movie about crime, an American movie about a French composer, and re-watched an Australian horror film about a children’s book monster that comes to life. So, which of these three movies deserves to be watched across the globe, by the French, Americans, Australians, and other citizens of planet Earth?

The Night of the 12th (2022)

Film Movement, 115 minutes

The Night of the 12th is a well-made French crime drama that isn’t for everyone. This is a grim “true crime”-type story, and though it isn’t based on a real case, it feels as though it definitely could be.

At the very start of the movie, we’re told by text on the screen that roughly 20% of the 800 murder investigations opened by the French police each year go unsolved, and that this film will depict such an unsolved case. It’s interesting that we’re told off the bat that there won’t be a resolution as to who committed the brutal murder depicted in the film that the detectives we follow are trying the entire movie to solve. While this is a realistic-feeling depiction of one of these types of unsolved cases, I don’t know how satisfied most viewers will feel with a mystery that’s without an ending where the killer and his motives are uncovered.

The Night of the 12th is still not a bad movie in any way. The acting is great and it really does feel like this could be a real case – which makes things very bleak and grim. The film also makes some interesting points about how any of the male suspects we’re presented with could be the murderer of the young, attractive female victim and it would be believable. While I think this is a high-caliber movie, I personally did feel somewhat unfulfilled by it despite some thought-provoking messages and scenes, and it’s not really a film I’m sure many people will appreciate.

Grade: 7/10

Chevalier (2022)

Searchlight Pictures, 107 minutes

I enjoy historical fiction as much as the next person, and if it’s got some fun music involved, I’m sold, which is why Chevalier was a big disappointment. This is a film that walks the line between trying to be more of a “fun” historical movie and realistically depicting what happened, and fails on both accounts. It also boasts the most unlikable protagonist in recent movie memory.

We all like rooting for the underdog – someone who’s risen up against the odds and found success. The titular Chevalier in the movie, whose birth name is Joseph Bologne, is supposed to be such a character we can cheer for. He’s the son of a plantation owner and an enslaved woman of African descent, and as a result is looked down upon for being Black by the French elite.

However, things come extremely easy to Joseph – he’s the best fencer in practically all of France and more talented at producing music than Mozart. He is portrayed as being extremely pompous and unlikeable. His redeeming quality is really only that he’s so good at everything without even trying. Since he’s not put even more on a pedestal than he already is by everyone in the French court (since he’s Black and they are racists) we’re supposed to root for him.

Every other character in the movie is paper-thin when it comes to having any depth. There’s a little bit of a love story between Joseph and a married lead singer in his opera, but there’s no chemistry between the characters. Nothing feels earned or realistic. As I stated earlier, the movie doesn’t have the “fun” feeling that some historical dramas of this type do, but it’s also not a quality film with a more realistic depiction of events. I’d pass on Chevalier.

Grade: 3.5/10

The Babadook (2014)

IFC Films, 93 minutes

The Babadook is one of the better horror movies made within the past 10 years, and, dare I say it, might even be one of the better movies made overall in that time frame. Horror movies tend to have a bad reputation when it comes to being regarded as quality films – they can just be so cheaply made that if they have some sort of audience-attracting hook and garner even a decent box office return, they can result in a big payday for those who finance them.

The Babadook, which secured financing through both some grants from the Australian government and crowd-funding, is not such a cash-grab horror flick. Written and directed by Jennifer Kent, The Babadook is the (rare) type of horror movie that boasts a great story in addition to being actually scary.

Here, we follow a widow named Amelia and her six-year-old son, Samuel. After reading a very disturbing children’s book, Amelia begins to suspect that the monster in the book, the titular Babadook, which Samuel claims is real, has actually entered their lives. The story largely focuses on these two characters and both of their performances are fantastic.

There are larger themes within The Babadook which adds another level to the film, too. Overall, this is a well-done horror movie that I’d recommend to those who are looking for more of a story with an overarching message in a film that’s also squarely within the horror genre.

Grade: 9/10