13 Tzameti (2005) Reviews

• don't read what it's about - just watch it

  iancaddy2006-02-19

  I know that having made that comment, it is obviously difficult for me to then expect you to read this. But bear with me here. This really is an excellent film and I went to see it having seen a very good trailer for it. The problem is that for the first half of the film I was wondering how we got to the bit I'd seen in the trailer (it's also in promotional stills and the poster). Although this is natural and happens with many films, it is not such a key element of the plot usually as it is in this film. From a very mundane beginning this film develops into the 'thriller' which it is billed as. But the true strength of this film lies in following the journey of the lead character who doesn't know what is going until it is too late. To get the full effect of this film you really ought to see it 'blind'. Even if you know something about it I'd still definitely recommend it. Filmed in black and white and focused very much on the lead character it tells a chilling story very well indeed.

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• Yes, its b&w. Yes, its foreign. Yes, its low budget. Yes, its worth watching.

  greenforest562008-04-30

  First: this movie starts slow. Stick with it – no matter what! The film makers aren't wasting your time. They're taking you someplace you never would have guessed, not in a hundred years. Second – it is a superb film. Great story well told. A low budget film that does not seem at all low budget. Also, a good film for a student of film. A very good example a minimalist approach. The director very much lets the story tell itself. The camera is very unobtrusive. There is no artificial manipulation of the emotions by music, sound or special fx. Every thing is low key, just a little excitement by some key actors, just as it would be. Great film making? Yes; taught, tense, exciting, nerve racking. Also, a great example of how you can still make a great film without a lot of blood, gore or sex. What?..... your thinking.... how can you do that? Watch the film and find out. How low budget is this? One suspects it was shot in b & w more for budgetary reasons than style. However, this director demonstrates such a mastery of his craft that it may be intentional. For which ever reason, it works. Good casting, too, even though there was a little nepotism. Even the fat guy was well cast. Last, as another critic advised: the less you know going into this film, the better. However, I give this one piece of information: Tzameti means '13' in Georgian (as in the Caucasus's not the United States....). So, the title reads: "13….13". Even this makes sense if you note three things….. Sit back and enjoy.... although later you'll be on the edge of your seat.

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• A thrilling absurd tale of extreme human behavior

  rasecz2006-04-03

  There is little one can say about the story without giving away its core absurdity. The first half is a mystery. In the second we are thrown into a violent hell. (For the sensitive: the gore is minimal and mostly off camera.) The film reintroduces us to the fact that the repetitiveness of violence deadens our revulsion to it. Here it applies to the main character in the film and to us as audience. It is disturbing how quickly we get used to each eruption of violence and come to see it as a game. This habituation is what soldiers in war, butchers, and grandma slicing the chicken's neck to get it ready for dinner go through. Death as means to an end. Ultimately an allegory of the predatory nature of power and money. Filmed in B/W. Blood is dark gray which helps tame our revulsion. The director's brother plays the main role. He does a competent job. Filmed in wide format. Superb editing maintains the tension from beginning to end. As I understand it, "Tzameti" means thirteen. See the film to understand why the film is so named.

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• Unbelievable tension

  Kujo12006-04-14

  A very impressive debut film by a young french filmmaker. What starts out initially as a seemingly simple tale soon turns into a twisted thriller. The amount of tension this film builds is incredible. You'll be hooked. The black and white filming fits perfectly. I gives the film a different edge that I don't think would have been the same had it been filmed in color. On a side note, I thought the lead actor, besides having an uncanny resemblance to James Franco, did a solid job. His emotions came across as very believable, and not forced. This film is highly recommended. Be sure to avoid spoilers.

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• The best first piece of work

  tommibulo2005-09-24

  This remarkable first movie by a young France filmmaker really impressed me and without any doubt it had been one of the most beautiful screening in the Festival of Venice. It's a black and white sadistic journey through the misery of men. The protagonist, an immigrant twenty year old guy, struggles to survive and works fixing a roof, when the owner of the house he's working at dies of overdose he gets to know that he's not going to be paid and decides to replace the man in a mysterious job outside town. He finds himself involved in a whirl of violence that will take away from him any form of innocence. I strongly recommend it

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