13 Tzameti

English: Thirteen 2005

Siren Visual 2008

R4 DVD

Reviewer: Bob Estreich

The first effort from Producer/writer Gela Babluani, this dark suspense movie shows his potential in the genre. It is filmed in black and white, which adds to the moodiness, and subtitled for the English-speaking market in clear white on black.

Sebastian is a young impoverished worker, struggling to support his family. He is currently repairing a roof for Godon, a retired man with a serious drug habit and no apparent income. He overhears a conversation where Godon admits he is broke, but he is waiting for a letter with a job offer that will put everything right. When Godon dies of an overdose, Sebastion, facing ruin for the expenses of the job he will not now be paid for, has no hesitation in stealing the letter.

It contains a train ticket to Paris and a prepaid hotel bill. Unaware that he is also being followed by the police who were taking a close interest in Godon’s jobs, Sebastian departs for Paris. At the hotel he is contacted and given a ticket for a rural railway station. He eventually comes to an isolated house , where he meets his employer.

A ring of gamblers meets regularly in such places. They each provide a gunman for a “game” of last-man-standing Russian Roulette. Because Godon is dead, his gambler / sponsor must accept the unknown and untested Sebastian as a replacement. The thirteen “players” stand in a circle, one bullet in each gun, and point their gun at the head of the man in front. At the signal they must shoot. Survivors will face the next round with two bullets in their guns, and so on. It is made clear to Sebastian that there is no backing out. He must kill or die.

The relentless buildup of tension is the main point of the movie. The plot is secondary. There is no room for skill in this game, just sheer blind luck. Even the promise of a large amount of money if he wins cannot help, and Sebastian just continues the game like a robot, completely under the control of others. He sinks deeper into depression and fugue as around him men die violent deaths.

Babluani’s direction only allows brief flashes of character development, and the characters he paints aid the bleak feeling of the movie – the gambler whose “player” was killed in the first round and must now beg other gamblers to let him put money on their players; the gambler’s assistant who explains the rules to Sebastian and looks after him between rounds, but expects to be paid well for his help. The gamblers are an undesirable lot, there to make money from the death of others. They contrast to the players themselves, who are a hopeless lot, either drunk or right on the edge of their nerves or foolishly confident of their luck.

Some reviewers have commented that the film is too long. Possibly the buildup in the early part could be shortened a little, but not the game. The game IS the movie, and shortening it would ruin the slow carefully crafted buildup of tension. The film has already won Film Festival prizes, and has attained something of a cult status. There is a rumour of a U.S. remake, but it can’t add anything to this movie.

My suggestion – see it now in its original form.

Extras include:

The Brothers Babluani – interview with Gela and Georges Babluani

Number 6: Interview with Aurelien Recoing

Testimony of a Survivor

Deleted scenes

Trailer