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Synopsis
Stan and Robyn return home from an evening out. They came from a party where Robyn was flaunting her affair with a writer more successful than Stan. At home, Robyn continues to chip away at her husband's self-esteem. Stan's been taking this abuse for years. His only escape is a world of fantasy. He writes stories where he is the one inflicting the pain and going off with other women. But when the line between reality and fantasy starts to fade, it becomes harder to figure out who the real monster is. 12th of Never tells the story of two people unable to walk away from a love that died years ago.
From the second Stan and Robyn enter their apartment at night, Robyn seems repulsed by her husband. Stan just wants her to look at him. He finally brings up the party they came from and the way Robyn was throwing herself at another man. She fires back, reminding him that his jealousy has more to do with the fact that the other man is a published writer. It's only when Robyn humiliates Stan like this that he gets inspired enough to turn to his typewriter. He writes stories where is an accomplished writer with agents and women throwing themselves at his feet. In that fantasy, the always-drunk Robyn is happy he even looks at her. Just as Stan is getting comfortable in a fantasy where he is king, the "real" Robyn screams and he snaps out of it. She can't stand the concentrated face he gets when he writes. And sure enough, Stan knows which buttons to push to get her blood boiling.
But why does Robyn stay with Stan? Is it because he knows her better than anybody? When Robyn finally gets her hands on Stan's writings, she leaves the room before he can see any hint of weakness in her eyes. Overwhelmed with guilt, Stan slips out of reality and into a world where Robyn adores his concentrated face and his writing. But it's not long before the real Robyn rips him out of that fantasy. Her laughter in the other room sends a clear message. Robyn is on the phone talking to the "published writer" she met at the party. Few seconds later, she enters the bedroom and starts putting on her stockings in preparation to go out. Stan turns from his typewriter to watch her flaunt her body. A body that is available to everyone but him these days. Something comes over Stan. A power he lost years ago. He walks over to Robyn and takes what's his. She resists at first but eventually gives in. But such confidence from Stan can only be a fantasy because the "real" Robyn would never give in. Instead she puts on her jacket and leaves. When the real-life humiliation of Stan reaches such heights, his fantasy degradation of Robyn sinks to new lows. In his story, Stan walks out on Robyn, leaving her with a copy of his latest book in which he details how he planned to humiliate her all along. But what happens when the weak wife Stan created in his fantasy enters his real world and takes over?