Kern’s review published on Letterboxd:
Hard for me not to compare this to 3 Idiots which I watched the same day, is from the same writer (who also directs this one), and has similar themes about the societal pressure put upon students trying to enter extremely competitive fields. In this case, it follows the true-life story of a man trying to become a high ranking police officer. Whereas 3 Idiots took a more lighthearted comedic approach (which I found undercut its drama and messaging), 12th Fail is much more grounded, not only in treating the material with an appropriate dramatic weight, but also in the filmmaking itself which is honestly very impressive. The only thing holding this back for me is that it, by nature of staying true to real events, feels repetitive and monotonous at times, and in my opinion the ending muddles the film's themes/messaging. Relatively minor complaints for a film I quite enjoyed on every level.
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