13 TzametiThe secret evils that lurk in men's hearts are best left in the shadows; but sometimes those temptations born of desperation get the better of us all. 13 Tzameti is a bleak, neo-noir thriller that ratchets up the suspense scene after scene and maintains its harrowing grip with a vise-like hold. It is the story of a young Georgian immigrant to France credited as Sébastien (George Babluani), who struggles to support his family while working as a roofer. When he discovers an opportunity to bring in a windfall of money, he ends up falling deep down the proverbial rabbit hole of criminals and dangerous games--a black journey which threatens to destroy not just his body but his soul.
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13 Tzameti was written, produced, and directed by Georgian filmmaker Géla Babluani, whose younger brother plays Sébastien; "tzameti" is the Georgian word for "thirteen", although most dialogue in the film is in French. Since Sébastien is played by a Georgian, he appears like more of an outsider throughout the film, adding an extra dimension to his performance--not just as an innocent swept up into a dark underworld of criminals and blood sport, but as an immigrant to France as well. From the start, it is clear how desperate Sébastien and his family are for money; he works all the time, carting around his tools in a shabby wheelbarrow. Sébastien's brief employment for an older Frenchman--an ex-con named Jean François Godon (Philippe Passon)--is his first exposure to the corrupt side of the world, unfamiliar to this young man of twenty-two years. It is clear that Jean François is addicted to drugs, as he shambles about his decrepit home, engaging in cryptic conversations with former comrades from his active criminal days. The police lurk outside his rundown villa, waiting to make a connection between him and a deeper criminal syndicate. When he receives an important letter in a striped envelope, Jean François overdoses on drugs shortly thereafter, leaving Sébastien stuck without compensation for his work by Jean François' unsympathetic widow (Olga Legrand). But Sébastien begins to understand that the ominous letter--containing a train ticket and hotel reservation in Paris--is an opportunity to make some money...money he and his family desperately need.
What's curious is that although Sébastien overhears the widow talking about trying to get a refund for the ticket, Sébastien does not try to do the same thing. Instead, he pursues the mystery, the secret plot that waits at the end of the winding path, posing as Godon for as long as he can. This deception is the first step in Sébastien's descent--innocent enough, but one which he should know will only get him into trouble. Why does he do it then? It's evident that Sébastien's life is likely to be a boring one, as an immigrant desperately scraping by to survive. This strange event suggests an opportunity not just to make some quick, big money, but to embark on an adventure unlike anything he might ever have again in his life. It is a revolutionary step for Sébastien, who commemorates the event by getting a haircut, as if adopting a new persona to go along with his alias. But even with the more professional, serious haircut, Sébastien has a baby-face youthfulness to him which makes him appear dramatically out of place among the most fatalistic and hardened of criminals once he reaches his destination. But the audience witnesses how shattered and emotionally wrecked Sébastien becomes as he is forced to participate in the deadly game in the manor in the wooded outskirts of town. At first, the mystery of it seems like a game; Sébastien's face even suggests he's entertained by it as he's given cryptic directions like something out of a spy novel to reach his goal. 13 Tzameti is particularly suspenseful because it consciously withholds the reality of the fatal game waiting at the end of Sébastien's journey for the first third of the movie, giving the audience a growing sense of anxiety and even excitement to match his own. But as it becomes clear that Sébastien is in far over his head, the film sticks with this hellish dynamic for virtually the rest of it, as the tension continues to escalate. In his tee-shirt with the number "13" marked in electrical tape--like a jockey or a runner in a marathon--Sébastien goes through varying states of panic, drenched in a cold sweat, shaking violently in terror. His harrowing experience is also a metaphor for his loss of youth and innocence in the face of a harsh, unfeeling world. In truth, Sébastien walks into danger with a kind of naive arrogance, the kind that comes from a youthful sense of invincibility. When he realizes just what kind of vile men could find entertainment from a sport which devalues life on such a completely nihilistic level, it is as though Sébastien were confronted with the devil himself, and he is trapped in his home of darkness and despair. When the end of the ordeal finally comes, there is no pride or sense of accomplishment--not even the sense of satisfaction at surviving. What Sébastien experiences is clear on his saturated brow--that his soul has suffered for his involvement in the deadly game, and a newfound worldliness has marked him forever. This is the true oblivion...the real torment that comes from pursuing a path into darkness with reckless abandon.
Recommended for: Fans of a tense and taut thriller, where the instinctive desire to see the protagonist emerge from peril grows increasingly unlikely with each desperate and bleak encounter at the secluded manor. 13 Tzameti is a sharp film that embodies many of the best qualities of an independent film--creativity, intensity, and authenticity.
What's curious is that although Sébastien overhears the widow talking about trying to get a refund for the ticket, Sébastien does not try to do the same thing. Instead, he pursues the mystery, the secret plot that waits at the end of the winding path, posing as Godon for as long as he can. This deception is the first step in Sébastien's descent--innocent enough, but one which he should know will only get him into trouble. Why does he do it then? It's evident that Sébastien's life is likely to be a boring one, as an immigrant desperately scraping by to survive. This strange event suggests an opportunity not just to make some quick, big money, but to embark on an adventure unlike anything he might ever have again in his life. It is a revolutionary step for Sébastien, who commemorates the event by getting a haircut, as if adopting a new persona to go along with his alias. But even with the more professional, serious haircut, Sébastien has a baby-face youthfulness to him which makes him appear dramatically out of place among the most fatalistic and hardened of criminals once he reaches his destination. But the audience witnesses how shattered and emotionally wrecked Sébastien becomes as he is forced to participate in the deadly game in the manor in the wooded outskirts of town. At first, the mystery of it seems like a game; Sébastien's face even suggests he's entertained by it as he's given cryptic directions like something out of a spy novel to reach his goal. 13 Tzameti is particularly suspenseful because it consciously withholds the reality of the fatal game waiting at the end of Sébastien's journey for the first third of the movie, giving the audience a growing sense of anxiety and even excitement to match his own. But as it becomes clear that Sébastien is in far over his head, the film sticks with this hellish dynamic for virtually the rest of it, as the tension continues to escalate. In his tee-shirt with the number "13" marked in electrical tape--like a jockey or a runner in a marathon--Sébastien goes through varying states of panic, drenched in a cold sweat, shaking violently in terror. His harrowing experience is also a metaphor for his loss of youth and innocence in the face of a harsh, unfeeling world. In truth, Sébastien walks into danger with a kind of naive arrogance, the kind that comes from a youthful sense of invincibility. When he realizes just what kind of vile men could find entertainment from a sport which devalues life on such a completely nihilistic level, it is as though Sébastien were confronted with the devil himself, and he is trapped in his home of darkness and despair. When the end of the ordeal finally comes, there is no pride or sense of accomplishment--not even the sense of satisfaction at surviving. What Sébastien experiences is clear on his saturated brow--that his soul has suffered for his involvement in the deadly game, and a newfound worldliness has marked him forever. This is the true oblivion...the real torment that comes from pursuing a path into darkness with reckless abandon.
Recommended for: Fans of a tense and taut thriller, where the instinctive desire to see the protagonist emerge from peril grows increasingly unlikely with each desperate and bleak encounter at the secluded manor. 13 Tzameti is a sharp film that embodies many of the best qualities of an independent film--creativity, intensity, and authenticity.