12 Days

Nearly 25 years after San Clemente, 12 Days finds Raymond Depardon returning to similar subject matter with this startling, face-to-face look at the relationship between mental illness and the French legal system. According to the law, anyone admitted to a psychiatric hospital against their will must be evaluated by a judge within 12 days to determine whether they are fit to be released or must continue treatment. With disarming, fly-on-the-wall immediacy, Depardon brings the viewer into the room for these charged encounters, which are by turns heartrending, unnerving, and deeply humanizing. Crucially, Depardon and his impassive camera refuse to pass judgment, letting the subjects—among society’s most vulnerable and marginalized—speak for themselves.