13 Tzameti (2005)
13 Tzameti (2005)
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | PAL 16:9 | Cover -> 8 Mb | 01:29:08 | 4,48 Gb
Audio: French + few words on Georgian+German AC3 5.1/2.0 @ 448/224 Kbps | Subs: English
Genre: Crime, Thriller | 8 wins | France
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | PAL 16:9 | Cover -> 8 Mb | 01:29:08 | 4,48 Gb
Audio: French + few words on Georgian+German AC3 5.1/2.0 @ 448/224 Kbps | Subs: English
Genre: Crime, Thriller | 8 wins | France
Intensely engaging and uniquely insightful, 13 Tzameti is a thrillingly surreal journey that follows the descent of a young man into a sinister criminal underworld in which men gamble on each other's lives in a shockingly brutal new sport… 22 year-old Sebastien leads an impoverished life constantly struggling to support his immigrant family. While repairing the roof of a neighbours house, he overhears a conversation about a forthcoming package which promises to make the household rich. Sensing the opportunity of a lifetime, Sebastien intercepts the package which contains a series of veiled instructions.
Following the cryptic clues, he assumes a false identity and manages to slip through the grasp of the encroaching police as he ventures deeper towards the unknown. The closer he gets to his destination, the less he understands. Ultimately, he comes face to face with a perverse ring of gamblers placing bets on a depraved game of chance where the spoils are unimaginable millions, and the losses are counted in lives.
IMDB
Georgian filmmaker Gela Babluani made an explosive debut with this gruesome but thoroughly compelling existential thriller – a film that made such a mark that soon after its release Babluani was given the contract to direct the Hollywood remake. Babluani’s younger brother George plays the lead role in the original film, an acting debut that is every bit as impressive as that of the director. In case you were wondering, Tzameti is the Georgian word for 13 – lucky for some.
13 Tzameti (2005)
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The first twenty minutes or so of 13 Tzameti may cause you to think this is going to be an ordinary, old-fashioned kind of French thriller, the black-and-white photography lending a Nouvelle Vague gloss to a démodé policier. However, appearance can be very deceptive, and after a slow, almost formulaic, start, the film soon becomes something very different – an intense Kafka-esque thriller which veers into some very dark and dangerous places.
13 Tzameti (2005)
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This is certainly not a film for the squeamish (and the reason it’s shot in black and white readily becomes apparent). In fact, it’s doubtful whether anyone would have the guts to sit through it more than once. Like most extreme experiences (bungee-jumping, climbing the North Face of the Eiger or eating a bowl of Cheerios), it’s the kind of thing you would only ever want to do once - but it’s probably an experience worth having, if you can afford the therapy afterwards.
13 Tzameti (2005)
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Like any good horror film, 13 Tzameti is a film that plays on our fascination with the morbid, and in a way that is disturbingly direct. The spectator starts out as a voyeur but ultimately becomes complicit in what is soon revealed to be the most sickeningly macabre game of chance. The film’s tight hold on its audience makes it easy to see how almost anyone might be corrupted by exploitation entertainment of the kind we see before us. There’s a good moral point here – such entertainment exists only because there is a market for it. The true villains are not the smart sickos who set the things up, but rather the dumb sickos who are ready to hand over money simply to nurture the darker side of their souls. What is so disturbing about this film is how plausible is the scenario that Babluani paints, how plausible and how unavoidable.
13 Tzameti (2005)
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Another social aspect the film touches on is the exploitation of vulnerable poor people by the wealthy and morally deficient. The grisly "death game" we see in this film is just one notch up in the desperation stakes from live organ donation or child pornography. Wherever there is some unfortunate wretch in dire need of hard cash, there is someone prepared to hand over the money in some morally dubious transaction. What the film says about our society, particularly the way in which the wealthy West is ready to exploit the impoverished East, is both distressing and chillingly accurate.
13 Tzameti (2005)
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13 Tzameti is impressive but it is not without a few defects. Some of the acting is amateurish, some scenes are badly dubbed and one or two sequences having a clumsy parody feel about them, undermining the realism and the tension. However, this is really just nit-picking - these flaws can easily be attributed to inexperience and a low budget. In his first full length film, Gela Babluani demonstrates that he is a director with great talent and imagination and is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects. With limited resources, he skilfully appropriates the elements of film noir and uses them in a modern context to devastating effect, creating a film that is not just stylish, poignant and absorbing, but one that also broadcasts some unpalatable truths about the world we now live in.James Travers, Films de France
13 Tzameti (2005)
Special Features:
- Interview with film director Gela Babluani
- Interview with lead actor Georges Babluani
13 Tzameti (2005)
Thanks goes to the original ripper.
No More Mirrors.