13 (Tzameti) (2006)

Somewhere in France, a Georgian immigrant called Sébastien works as a handyman for Godon, a criminal who is addicted to drugs. Quite unexpectedly the latter dies of an overdose without having paid the former for all his work. As an act of revenge, Sébastien steals an envelope containing a train ticket and a hotel voucher in the hope it will lead to him to a job. The young man follows a series of mysterious instructions which eventually lead him to a mansion in the middle of nowhere. There a terrible fate awaits him, but there is no way back...

Director Géla Babluani takes his time for the introduction of his first long feature and that is a bit of a shame. The first 30 minutes are slow and quite frankly, a bit boring. But then suddenly, the pace changes. As soon as Sébastien finds himself in a brutal game where old men bet large sums of money on men playing a variety of Russian roulette, the viewer is quickly led from one horrific scene to another. And somehow this mix of thriller and horror is even mesmerizing.

And that is mainly thanks to the eye to detail. The rounds of the game are a strange kind of ritual with a brutal master of ceremonies nervously shouting the same instructions over and over again... With every round, the director meticulously shows how the players prepare themselves, how they undergo the proceedings of the game and how they come to terms with it afterwards. These repetitions add to the tense atmosphere of the movie, which is also enhanced by the grainy black and white photography.

Some critics stated that the movie - or at least the characters - lacks emotion. I tend to disagree with this. Just keep an eye on the actor who plays Sébastien. In the beginning, he looks very innocent, but as the movie progresses you can clearly see the sheer terror on his face. He actually plays his role so well, that the viewer can feel the horror with him.

Look deeper into the movie and you see some interesting juxtapositions of themes. There is old versus young and especially the envy that the former feel towards the latter. And what about the emotional torture that the players undergo versus the absence of any emotion of the men who bet on them. This is inhumanity at its top.

Have a look at the trailer! It features one of my favourite scenes in the movie.

Did you know?

• The brother of the director plays the role of Sébastien.
• There is an American remake, which was made in 2010. Have you seen it?
• The director is also the writer and the producer.
• Tzameti is 13 in Georgian. Sébastien is player number 13 in the game.

Score: 3,5/4.
Director: Géla Babluani.

Duration: 95 minutes.

Actors: Georges Babluani, Pascal Bongard, Aurélien Rencoing