Written and directed by Ko Myoung-sung, “The 12th Suspect” takes us in a freshly divided Korea. The whodunnit noir is used to look into the concept of nationhood,and patriotism.
“The 12th Suspect” is screening at Florence Korean Film Festival 2020
Seoul, Fall 1953. As the city is mourning the country's brutal and imposed separation, artists hang out at the ‘Oriental Teahouse'. The bar belongs to gruff Noh Suk-hyun (played by Heo Sung-tae). His wife, Jang Sun-hwa (played by Park Sun-young) serves the clients. The said clients are all ‘intellectual artists' (painters, poets, novelists). Oriental Teahouse is pretty much the Korean cousin of French Café de Flore. One of the post-war intellectuals/bar regular, Baek Doo-hwan (Nam Sung-jin), has been murdered. Kim Ki-chae (Kim Sang-kyung) investigates. Tensions come to light and secrets are revealed.
The feature manages to deliver a coherent murder story- not easy when so many characters are introduced- and actually goes beyond the investigation. The underlying topic is the concept of nationhood. The movie's take on that is quite in line with modernist theories. And it is maybe no coincidence that there are references to French modernism. Coming back from a post occupied France, one of the characters reads Baudelaire. Moreover, the action is almost entirely behind closed doors; reminding us of Jean-Paul Sartre's “Huis Clos”.
Although lacking a bit of humor and feminine presence on screen, the movie (first one of the filmmaker) is quite enjoyable to watch. It conveys the noir atmosphere, notably with cigarettes, hats and 50s' fashion, but also with the colors, the close-ups, the POV shots, and the importance given to lighting and shadows. Visually wise, the many wide shots are pleasant to watch and make sense as they allow the viewers to analyze this movie Cluedo-party.
If the movie loses itself a bit in the second part, the audience does get into the various plot twists. The ‘double face' of the bad guy is a bit too obvious. Once he reveals his ‘true nature', he becomes a bit stereotyped.Perhaps it has to do with the editing, where more nuanced scenes of the mean guy could have been added/fewer scenes of him going crazy could have been cut down. The acting of all actors remains convincing nonetheless, and the movie is entertaining.
In conclusion, the whodunnit noir aspect of the film is achieved, and the point “The 12th suspect” is trying to make remains interesting, as it questions the ideas of nationhood and patriotism.
