13 Tzameti

Plot synopsis:
The film follows 22-year-old Sébastien, a Georgian immigrant living in France and working construction jobs to support his poor family. Sébastien works on the home of Godon, a feeble morphine-addict who is under police surveillance. After Godon dies of an overdose, his widow informs Sébastien that she is unable to pay him. Sébastien then overhears the widow talking with one of Godon's friends, describing a mysterious "job" that Godon had lined up before his death. The destitute Sébastien steals an envelope containing the instructions for the job. The police begin following Sébastien as he uses the train ticket contained in the envelope.
The police lose track of Sébastien as he follows the instructions and is brought to a secluded house in a forest. At the house, a deadly gambling event is being organized by a powerful criminal. Though Sébastien's contacts immediately recognize that he is not Godon and has no idea what he is getting into, they force him to participate in the game. Thirteen men identified by number must undergo a series of Russian roulette games, arranging themselves into a circle and pointing their revolver at the man in front of them. Spectators place bets on who will survive. Sébastien, as #13, survives the first round and fires his gun only after threatened with death. On the second round, in which two bullets are placed in each gun, Sébastien survives only because the man behind him is killed before he could fire. On the third round, with three bullets in each gun, Sebastien survives along with three other men.
Though he believes that he is finished, Sébastien is selected for the final "duel" game against #6, a cruel man who is managed by his own brother. Sébastien wins the duel and survives the game. He collects €850,000 out of the winnings his handlers have made from him, then flees the house. Fearing for his life, he sends the money home in a parcel before the police catch up with him. He tells the detective that he was turned away from the game and received no money, but gives the license plate number of a particularly unpleasant gambler in attendance. The police release him, but the brother of #6 spots him as he boards a train. The brother shoots Sébastien and steals his empty satchel. Sébastien collapses into a seat as the train begins to move.

Tags: dramatic, revenge, mystery

Review:
Great soundtrack which doesn't convolute every scene as silence plays a big role in the movie, building the tension.This movie just reminds what cinema is really about; why films move people and make them feel things.
It's amazing what kinds of risks non-American movie makers take, what they put their characters through.The cinematography was also surprising, it's a black and white movie, very stylish, film-noir like.
Once you get into the story, you'll begin to love the black and white, it's been such a good decision, and it adds to the atmosphere.I had never seen a Georgian movie before so i was very excited and all my wishes came true.
It was way better than i expected and when it's out on DVD, I'll rent it again, or buy it, that's for sure.One last thing, if Géla Babluani's writing and directing a movie again, i hope it will be as awesome, dark and surprising again!
The idea is simple and easy to follow without many ploys or elaborate schemes.The quality of the film comes from the build up of tension throughout, the camera work involves a lot of close ups on peoples faces and this gives us a real view of their fear and desperation.Babluani does a great job in the lead as an ordinary man who is out of his depth and has no alternative except to play along.There are a few twists in the tale to keeping you guessing and the ending is good with the atmosphere remaining taut right to the end.No clichés or other silliness just good directing and acting..
Whatever one says,it is sure that 13 Tzameti is a rare film which makes sure that fiction comes close to reality.There is a reason for that as its director Gela Babluani learned the art of cinema from his father Temur Babluani whose film "The son of the wakeful" bagged silver bear prize for an outstanding artistic contribution at the 1993 Berlin International Film Festival.Both of them come from Georgia,a land which has given birth to such prolific film directors as Tengiz Abuladze,Temur Babluani,Goderdzi Chokheli,Georgi Daneliya,Nana Djordjadze,Lana Gogoberidze,Otar Iosseliani,Mikhail Kalatozov and Marlen Khutsiev.13 Tzameti is not for the weak hearted people as there is an excessive usage of guns in it.It is normal for us to associate guns for mutual destruction but this film shows us that they are also used to conduct wild games which can prove out to be fatal.There is a degree of authenticity as the events depicted might be taking place in an undisclosed location of an unknown country.13 Tzameti succeeds on a social level too as its success has ensured that the stigma attached to number 13 needs to be erased from people's minds..
On the flipside, this movie is quite well-filmed and despite its severe (and I really mean that) lack of tension, it still remained somewhat intriguing all the way through, with a very bleak atmosphere enhanced by the stark black and white look of the film.
When the house-owner suddenly dies, Sébastien finds a valuable letter that contains clear instructions.Géla Babluani's dark debut from modern day France about a young immigrant who takes a risky choice to help his family, opens as a classic film-noir and develops after the chronologies time-frame to a tight psychological thriller about a cynical underground milieu where the unknowing protagonist realizes that the consequences of his choice has forced him into a situation that he can only get out of by conquering death.
The compassion, warmth and harmony Babluani suggests of in the character introduction is alienated after the point-of-no-return, and from here on out Géla Babluani depicts a hazardous gambling community where human worth means nothing and money everything.Promising Georgian-French director Géla Babluani was possibly inspired by 1940s American Film Noir and Robert Bresson's metaphysical dramas when he started making this formalistic art film that is associable with Juan-Carlos Fresnadillo's "Intacto" (2001).
Some of the notable performances: the heroin addict, who comes off as a cranky Hugh Hefner in need of some shampoo; his wife, whose emotional repertoire begins and ends with 'annoyed'; the lead, who sleepwalks through the film, whose only depth comes from the addition of sweat stains on his tee shirt, the dumb cop, who delivers his lines like someone reading off of cue cards behind the camera (& why did he park his vw bug literally right in front of the main entrance to the house he is watching, come on, where is the 'AAA Plumbing' stake-out van?)...there's a lot more but I don't want this review to be a spoiler.
Shot in gloomy black-and-white (presumably to add to the bleakness of the tale rather than economic necessity because surely black-and-white film must be more expensive to process than colour these days) the film struggles to get the viewer on the side of the young protagonist and therefore struggles to develop the element of suspense it needs to be a success.A roofer working on a beach-side house, finds an envelope containing a train ticket and hotel room number lost by his employer, who has just overdosed on heroin.
Although it's a good half-hour (at least) before anything really happens, little attempt seems to have been made to allow us to get to know the (nominal) hero, and his reasons for pursuing a potentially perilous mission just don't ring true.Everything is very low-key and downbeat, a technique which really should heighten the tension and the horror of the situation, but which just leaves everything feeling flat.
This is black and white and the dramatic film work with the intriguing scenes and the eerie movie score create an immersive captivating tension.
This feels like an old movie but it is not constrained by old standards in telling its' dark tale.This is a story of a young french roofer who, by unusual chance has an opportunity to take an unknown fork in the road at a point in his life where he feels he has nothing to lose.
When he reaches his destination, Sebastian falls into a degenerate, clandestine world of mental chaos behind closed doors in which men gamble on the lives of others men.A low-budget film like this will draw away most people but don't fall for that and make sure that this is in your hands no matter what you are feeling.
A young man steals a mysterious invitation to an opportunity to make some money in Gela Babluani's film '13 Tzameti'; and the movie begins as a tense thriller, with grotesque and blackly comic overtones.
"13 tzameti" as the name suggests makes you taking guesses on what the movie is all about, starts well as the story develops and the viewer is left with so many questions as something happens every minute or so.
finally when all the questions are answered it turns out to be more intense and thrilling as my palms get sweaty every time i see it.This movie is quite a experience, a guy follows the instructions meant for someone else in pursuit of money and end up getting trapped in a dirty game of murder.
And most of all you pay attention - you care about what happens on screen.Admittedly the main character could have been developed a little more, but see this movie for what it is, a very good debut featuring brilliant cinematography, acting and plot.
When I watch a movie, I require something to make the time worthwhile like story, character development or spectacle but the most interesting character here seemed to be the Police Inspector and he only had about two scenes.You may ask: Why do I say I want my 2 hours back when the film only lasted 1 1/2 hours?
Without his knowledge, he is being tailed by a tough French copper, and after doing what the mysterious guy on the phone told him to - he finds himself in a bleak and very dangerous place where you're life isn't worth a thing and immoral men stand to make a lot of money.The film gets off to a slow start, but it livens up quite a bit once the plot starts to reveal itself.
Director Géla Babluani certainly has an eye for visuals, and many scenes in the film - the main pivotal one for example - are likely to stick in the memory.
"13 Tzameti " is a phenomenon ;it came as a shock in the French cinema,like an UFO;I search and I search my memory but I cannot find a single movie which looks like it in the French history of cinema(maybe Alain Jessua's "Traitement De Choc"(1972) but its form was more conventional) ;it is some kind of "they shoot horses ,don't they?" in the harsh realities of the naughties ;I would not even mention "French naughties" for the movie seems to come from nowhere and all the actors are unknown even over there and it is filmed in stark bleak black and white .The scene takes a little time to take off ,but when it hits its stride,it relegates Tarentino and other "intellectual" directors to kindergarten.Even scenes which seem irrelevant make sense :"you're 22,13's told,it's so good to be 22";even when you are a humble roofer who can't even get paid .The first scenes depict humble life ,verging on poverty and it is in direct contrast with the hateful punters which place their bets not on men but on numbers (like in Horace McCoy's novel "horses" filmed by Pollack).They call their "cattle" players and the "games" scenes are unbearably intense;before they shoot,you can hear the men breathe ,you can feel them sweat and you can almost hear the beating of their heart.Their eyes are fixed upon this bulb (in black and white the effect is increased tenfold)which means life or death.This is a modern fable:the mighty,the wealthy gets his pleasure from his fellow man's pain.Even if they do not make money ,what a thrill to see them suffer ,tremble and die !"13" has a boyish innocent face,lost in a wolves ' world he entered by mistake (but isn't it the same for the other players?) "13 Tzameti" is THE European film noir of the naughties ;it is essential viewing for French cinema students with strong hearts..
Directed by Gela Babluani, "13 Tzameti" is a winner-take-all thriller where a naive young man is transformed into Player 13 in game with only one way out.
13 Tzameti is elegantly minimal, and remarkably hard-hitting, and its monochromatic look at a cast of captivating, case-hardened mugs make it unbearable not to watch, even when proceedings grow nigh on unbearable.Georges Babluani, indeed the director's brother, plays young Georgian immigrant worker Sébastien, who is living in France and working construction jobs to sustain his destitute family.
And one would be negligent not to note the exceptionally good suspense thriller score by The Troublemakers, piano, flute and cymbals flitting about a Middle Eastern theme.The film's minimalism and force are ministered to by the bracing black-and-white cinematography of Tariel Meliava, which gives the work a noir look suggestive of the 1940s but with a ferment that is utterly new millennium.
The stark B/W photography works brilliantly, especially for this viewer, evoking murky and sinister plots of yester-year: Reservoir Dogs (1992) and The Asphalt Jungle (1950) come to mind – other exercises in men who get in too deep for their own good...And 13 Tzameti is exclusively about men; and what they do; with and to each other, in secret; for money.So, the plot begins development of that idea as we meet a young handy-man type worker who, quite by chance – a gust of wind, in fact – stumbles upon an opportunity to lift himself out of grinding poverty and "make a bundle", as many like to say; almost like a gift-horse, so to speak.
If you're thirsting for something new and different and you're able to watch black and white films with subtitling than look no further than 13 Tzameti.
When Sébastien's fee is jeopardized by the chaos, he endeavors to prove he is the world's stupidest Frenchman by pretending to be the intended recipient and following the instructions himself.Without giving away the form Sébastien's nightmare actually takes in the film, suffice it to say that it is stark indeed.A warped sense of accountability came to define the world of Enron's top officers when that company imploded.Al Capone's parallel universe of speak-easies can be described as one in which Prohibition didn't matter.In '13 Tzameti,' we encounter a culture of behavior more typical of the Roman Empire – one in which human frailty has become a matter for sport.And like the makers of 'The Blair Witch Project,' and 'The Deer Hunter,' what Babluani knows about the horror of stories like these is not the physical peril itself, but its embrace by the weakened and beaten minds that could once have been allied against it.
A question made all the more important as we learn in the film's DVD release that the story is rooted in real-life accounts of actual events.Shot entirely in black and white, '13 Tzameti' occasionally feels like the graphic novel Frank Miller might have authored had he grown some sense for nuance: The more intense a scene gets, the higher the contrast.
Perhaps it is by virtue of the fact that George is playing an inexperienced outsider in this story that he gets away with the performance he provides.Ultimately, what '13 Tzameti' does best is what so many good independent films do and that is to consider topics and themes that go unexamined in the mainstream market.At the very least, after watching this movie, you will think twice about which car doors in life you decide to open.This movie review by Erik Gloor.
I hope I'm not being baned for this but I think one can not do better than this Person from Italy so I included his comment in mine."tommibulo from Perugia, Italy" Says:This remarkable first movie by a young France filmmaker really impressed me and without any doubt it had been one of the most beautiful screening in the Festival of Venice.It's a black and white sadistic journey through the misery of men.
Shot in black and white for an ultra noir look, 13 captures elements from varying formats of action, drama and Hitchcockian thrillers, and roles it up into one unforgettably satisfying tale.It's brilliance lies, not in its ability to produce turns at every angle but for us as an audience to sympathise with our protagonist, and more importantly feel every bit of anxiety and tension that he himself is experiencing.
Suffice to say, this is a highly original work and it's genuinely terrifying; a one-off, it heralds a brilliant new talent in Gela Babluani who both wrote and directed, (his brother George is the lead so it's something of a family affair).Superbly shot in widescreen black and white by Tariel Meliava, the film has the texture of a nightmare.
The protagonist, an immigrant twenty year old guy, struggles to survive and works fixing a roof, when the owner of the house he's working at dies of overdose he gets to know that he's not going to be paid and decides to replace the man in a mysterious job outside town.
They take him to the Parisian underworld where he is forced into a lethal game of Russian Routine.13 Tzameti was Géla Babluani's first film as a director and there is promise.
The desperate times call for him to go in his employer's place, without any knowledge of what he will have to do, in order to bring some money back to his family.George Babluani gives an emotionally draining performance, transforming from a hopeful boy with work to a broken heap of nerves, fighting for his life knowing that his only hope for survival will be to kill at least one other human being.
"13 (Tzameti)" is a very tense, black and white France-Georgia co-production that has made people abroad catch an eye for Georgian cinema and the young filmmaker Géla Babluani.The plot is simple: a young handyman called Sébastien (George Babluani, Géla's real life brother), decides to follow instructions intended to Godon (Philippe Passon), the owner of the house he'd been repairing the roof of, after Godon dies of drug overdose.
The attraction of this film is clearly the violence and tension of the Russian roulette scenes, the fact that human life can be so easily discarded, and that men are willing to lay down their lives for money in a game of chance.
However, here, these ideas are played out fully, and completely, and nothing is left behind.13 TZAMETI is a wonderful little film, completely made in black/white.
This gritty realism, for my money, qualifies the movie as one of the great thrillers of this decade.Hard to believe this is Babluani's debut feature!Note: Very squeamish people may find the 'game' utterly revolting to the point where they deem 13 (Tzameti) to be just plain sick.
Before he knows what's going on he's in way over his head in a sinister world that he could never have known existed.A French language film shot entirely in black and white, "13 Tzameti" is a skillfully captured film that is devoted to telling its twisted story.
I am still a blind shot, yet I'd like to think I've more respect for a firearm.In the film 13 Tzameti, it is hard to tell if Sébastian (Georges Babluani) has touched a gun before joining a game in which a requirement is putting a gun to the head of the man standing beside him and pulling the trigger.
Having successfully thrown you into a world of misery it justifies later on the choice of the main character to go along with a game of Russian roulette he has stumbled upon on a desperate search of money (though it's not really much of a choice).It's got strong images and elements (like the light-bulb signal) and being shot in black and white it enhances the harsh feeling of this film.