Unanimous Vote.

In the Russian film, 12, the seemingly simple discussion whether the Chechen foster child was guilty or not guilty of murdering his foster father turns into a revelation of the lives of the entire jury. Wanting to quickly return to their daily schedule, the jury walked into the discussion without a second thought. They simply thought, “Let’s get this done and over with.” They did not stop to think what consequences would follow for the Chechen boy; they selfishly wanted to get back to their lives. Only when one man on the jury stood up for what he believed in, voted “not guilty,” and went against the general consensus, did all the other jurors pause and think. If no one had said anything, they all would not have stopped to think twice. But because the vote was not unanimous, it was required that they stop and ponder. The large majority tried to figure out why the juror voted “not guilty” and how they could change his vote. However, he had a story that changed his life. He felt, breathed, showed compassion and mercy. I am fascinated how his story changed the verdict for the Chechen boy. His story stirred the thoughts and emotions of all the other jurors. In this case, the power of expression was vital for the Chechen foster child.

Initially, when everyone was trying to change the “not guilty” votes to “guilty”, the atmosphere radiated the intensity of a raging war. Some jurors were so bitter and vindictive that they literally manipulated and threatened other jurors to side with them or else. Some lost loved ones. Story by story, experience by experience, tragedy by tragedy, the situation took a complete 360; the votes slowly changed from “guilty” to “not guilty”. By the stories that each juror shared, I felt that each person’s life was influenced, touched, changed by another’s actions and words; therefore, when it came to deciding whether the Chechen boy was “guilty” or “not guilty”, in the end, they felt compassion for the boy because they either felt the Chechen boy like them deserved a second chance or he like them did not deserve the fate at hand.

Words are so powerful. If it was not for the words of the juror, this case would have gone dismissed without another glance. If it was not for the words of the juror, the jury would have had that unanimous vote that they all so yearned for. If it was not for the words of the juror, Chechen boy may have been sentenced to prison. Words can change lives. They changed the Chechen boy’s life.