A Twelve-Year Night

A Twelve-Year Night (Spanish: La noche de 12 años) is a 2018 drama film directed by Álvaro Brechner.^[3] It premiered in Official Selection at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, and it was selected as the Uruguayan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.^[4][5] The film won the Golden Pyramid Award at the 40th Cairo International Film Festival. It is a co-production between Uruguay, Spain, Argentina, France and Germany.

The film follows the twelve-year incarceration of members of the Tupamaros, a far-left urban guerrilla group active in the 1960s and 1970s, nine of whom were held as "hostages" between 1972 and 1985. It dramatises the experiences of José Mujica, Mauricio Rosencof and Eleuterio Fernández Huidobro. Mujica later became the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015.

In 1973 Uruguay, the country is ruled by a civic-military dictatorship, and the National Army is embroiled in guerilla warfare with the leftist Tupamaros group. Three Tupamaros members, José "Pepe" Mujica, Mauricio Rosencof and Eleuterio Fernández Huidobro, are held as hostages in a government-run prison. In the next twelve years, they are repeatedly relocated to military bases around the country.

As the military is unable to kill the men owing to international pressure, it decides to torment them mentally instead. The hostages are subjected to petty rules and abuses, including solitary confinement and a mock execution. Under pressure from the hostages' families, the military chief permits a brief reunion in the prison grounds, but warns the men to be silent.

In 1975, Pepe is separated from the trio and held at the bottom of a grain silo. After a prolonged period, he experiences mental delusions and begins hallucinating about his mother. In another prison, Rosencof strikes up an acquaintance with sergeant Alzamora, and assists him in composing a letter to a girl. The three men are reunited and transported to an underground prison in 1978. Amongst the three, Pepe is locked up in complete isolation in his cell, worsening his condition. He relieves the memories of his capture and fears that they will be forgotten in the years to come.

The hostages are shifted to another prison with better conditions and given special privileges in a ruse to fool a visiting Red Cross delegation, which are revoked when the delegation leaves. During the process, a bar of soap with inscriptions is discovered in Huidobro's possession. He is subjected to questioning which exonerates him of any malicious intent, though the military chief expresses regret in not having killed him.

After items delivered by his mother are misappropriated, Pepe causes a commotion at a military event held near his cell, and is ordered to see a psychiatrist. She promises to raise awareness of his condition. In 1980, the government is defeated in a referendum to amend the constitution to provide the military with a leading role.

In 1983, the hostages are returned to another prison, and Rosencof meets sergeant Alzamora, now a chief guard. Alzamora reveals that he is now married and expresses gratitude to Rosencof, allowing the three men a greater degree of freedom under his custody. In 1985, the military releases the three men amongst other political prisoners in a general amnesty, and they reunite with their families.

• Antonio de la Torre as José Mujica
• Chino Darín as Mauricio Rosencof
• Alfonso Tort as Eleuterio Fernández Huidobro
• César Troncoso as military chief
• César Bordón as sergeant Alzamora
• Soledad Villamil as psychiatrist
• Mirella Pascual as Lucy Cordano

A Twelve-Year Night is an international co-production between Uruguay, Spain, Argentina, France, and Germany. The film was produced by Tornasol Films, Haddock Films, Aleph Media, Alcaraván Films, and Manny Films.

Director Álvaro Brechner spent over four years researching and preparing the project. The script is based on the autobiographical book Memorias del calabozo (Memories from the Dungeon) by Mauricio Rosencof and Eleuterio Fernández Huidobro, two of the Tupamaro prisoners portrayed in the film.

The prison scenes were filmed at the Fort of San Cristóbal near Pamplona, Spain, a location that had been used as a political prison during Franco's dictatorship.

The film depicts the imprisonment of nine Tupamaro leaders during Uruguay's civic-military dictatorship (1973-1985). The prisoners, considered "hostages" by the military regime, were held in solitary confinement for twelve years under conditions designed to cause psychological breakdown.

José Mujica, one of the three main protagonists, later became President of Uruguay (2010-2015), making him one of the few heads of state to have experienced such prolonged political imprisonment.

Distributed by Syldavia Cinema,^[6] it was released theatrically in Spain on 23 November 2018.^[7]

A Twelve-Year Night received widespread critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, holds an 80% approval rating based on 15 reviews, and an average rating of 7.4/10.^[8]

Dennis Harvey of Variety praised Brechner's direction, describing the film as "an impressive work" with "technical bravura".^[9] IndieWire covered the film's success at the 32nd European Film Awards, highlighting its sound design achievement.^[10] Cineuropa noted Brechner's four-year research process to accurately portray "the mental confusion" caused by prolonged solitary confinement.^[11]

The film was praised for its austere cinematography and powerful performances, particularly by Antonio de la Torre as José Mujica. Critics noted Brechner's ability to avoid clichés of the prison drama genre while maintaining emotional intensity.

Italian critics highlighted the film's "atmospheric density" and its focus on the existential struggle of the prisoners rather than political rhetoric. The film was compared favorably to other Latin American films about dictatorship, including Pablo Larraín's work.

A Twelve-Year Night won the Golden Pyramid Award at the 40th Cairo International Film Festival on 29 November 2018.^[12] The film received six nominations for the 6th Platino Awards, including Best Ibero-American Film and Best Director.^[13]

A Twelve-Year Night received numerous international awards. The film won the Goya Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2019, awarded by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain.^[14] The same year, the sound team of Eduardo Esquide, Nacho Royo-Villanova, and Laurent Chassaigne received the award for Best Sound from de European Film Academy.^[15][16]

In 2018, A Twelve-Year Night won the Golden Pyramid Award at the Cairo International Film Festival.^[17][18] The film was also honored as Best Ibero-American Film by the Brazilian Film Academy in 2019.^[19]

The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2018.^[20] It was also selected as the Uruguay'an entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 91st Academy Awards, though it was not nominated.^[21]

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The film's original score was composed by Argentine composer Federico Jusid, who received a nomination for Best Original Score at the 6th Platino Awards.

Spanish singer-songwriter Sílvia Pérez Cruz, who also appears in the film as the character Graciela, contributed original songs and vocal performances to the soundtrack. Pérez Cruz, recipient of Spain's National Music Prize, performed notable renditions including a version of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" which became one of the film's most memorable musical moments.

The soundtrack's sparse, haunting quality complements the film's austere visual style and the psychological isolation experienced by the prisoners.

• List of submissions to the 91st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Uruguayan submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Spanish films of 2018

• A Twelve-Year Night at IMDb