12 Days

12 Days is a 2017 documentary out of France.  It's US release date was in March 2018, and I viewed it at the Parkway Theater.  By law, in France, anyone whom is committed to a psychiatric ward or hospital, must see a judge roughly 12 days after their commitment.  This is to deem whether or not they are fit to be released or should continue treatment.

The documentary follows a grouping of patients, some of their time in the hospital, as well as their hearings.  They also have many scenic scenes between cases.  The scenic scenes help set the tonal, grey and cold rainy or misty scenes of some of the hospitals.  The premise of the documentary is fascinating to me, as the stigma of needing to get psychiatric help in the United States is always a challenge.  Many in the states can't get the help that they need due to sheer costs, limited insurance or options for that matter.  Many of the stories that they portray are heartbreaking.  Some don't see the need for their commitments, while others appreciate the help that they are receiving and comment on how they feel the treatment to be helpful.  Unfortunately, I'm sure mostly due to doctor-patient privileges, most of the documentary covers only the trials.  Some of the trials we see are early in the treatment process, others are later.  Everyone that we witness, the patient is told that they need to receive more treatment.

There is enlightenment in seeing another country's process, it's just a shame that we weren't given more information about maybe the hospitals, what allows others to commit certain people against their will, in addition to the court cases.  I realize that most families, friends, patients or doctors may not want to disclose everything about why somebody is committed, the healing process, treatment, etc., but there are just so many other approaches that this documentary could have brought forth in it.  The documentary itself was relatively short, and like I said, was a string of the different court cases.  It also would have been beneficial to see a variety of different rulings, in addition to the variety of judges.  Another topic that could have been pursued could have been why these judges chose to hear these types of cases.  Overall, I enjoyed the film, I just left wanting to know more.