Nothing makes you realize how differently people see reality than the inside of the jury room. In fact, one of the greatest things about 12 Angry Men is the way it slowly shows us that each of these twelve men has his own version of reality. In the beginning, only Juror #8 believes that the case is worth discussing, but over the course of a few hours, he convinces the other eleven men to change the way they see reality. Even some of the most basic "facts" of the case get twisted by different jurors' prejudice and bias, and by the end of the movie, we have to wonder just how "factual" the facts of the matter are.

Questions About Versions of Reality

1. Which juror is the most prejudiced, and why?
2. Which juror (apart from #8) is most willing to listen to the evidence in a rational way? Why?
3. Which jurors' versions of reality are the toughest ones to change? How do they change?

Chew on This

In 12 Angry Men, we learn that quite often, juries are way more subjective than we'd like to think.

12 Angry Men reminds us that despite different people's versions of reality, you can't argue with facts.