By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Géla Babluani
Starring: George Babluani | Pascal Bongard | Philippe Passon
Country: france, georgia
Year: 2006
Running time: 86
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475169/
Bruce says: “**Spoilers Beyond Second Paragraph**
“In spite of garnering prizes at Sundance, the Venice Film Festival and the European Film Awards 13 TAZMETI has remained relatively obscure. Beautifully constructed, acted and filmed 13 TZAMETI is an unusual thriller. Sébastian (George Babluani) is a young man who repairs roofs for a living. He has just landed a new job. As the moody 13 TZAMETI begins, his employer Jean-Francois (Philippe Passon) passes out on the beach. A young woman spies on Jean-Francois from an upstairs window; a man sitting in a car stakes out the activity surrounding the house, particularly the mailbox. Soon it becomes evident that Jean-Francois has a sizeable drug habit. He is waiting for correspondence which will direct him to a considerable sum of money; exactly what he has to do to earn the money is an unknown.
“The day after the roofing job begins, the young girl screams for help. Jean-Francois has locked himself in the bathroom and is not responding to her knocks. Sébastian smashes the door with an axe only to discover Jean-Francois dead from an overdose. Sébastian gathers his things and prepares to leave. On the way out he finds the mysterious letter that Jean-Francois received. The letter contains a train ticket along with instructions to go to Paris and stay at the Hotel Windsor Opera where he will receive further information. Sébastian concludes that he could pose as Jean-Francois and make a lot of money. Thus begins a harrowing
adventure ending on an excruciating, cautionary note.
“13 TZAMETI is arguably a gladiator film, the type where men are pitted against wild animals for the entertainment of those who have the power. Killing remains the common theme but in the 21st century animals have been replaced with guns, the prevailing currency of our times. A subplot involving two brothers adds to the film’s already bizarre atmosphere. There are chilling sequences where we hear the commands: ‘load, raise your gun, spin, take aim, cock the hammer, when the bulb lights up you shoot.’ This film could become a poster child for gun control. Ten years ago the plot of 13 TZAMETI might seem farfetched and moral outrage would have been a likely knee jerk response to what transpires on screen. Not so, today. I unfortunately did not need to suspend any disbelief. 4 cats”