13 Tzameti DVD: Review By Dodd

Sometimes I find it amusing to reflect on the world's obsession with death. I am even more intrigued by the utilization of death in the suspense thriller. There is nothing people are more frightened of than the idea of losing their own lives. This is precisely why the knife-wielding psycho or the murderous gunmen make us cringe whenever we sit down to enjoy an intense film. However, at the same time, we are entertained by these murders because it is the characters we see experiencing a bloody fate while we clench onto our lucky souls as spectators.

Every week thrillers are released, but they are sometimes so gratuitous and hollow that they fail to focus on death as the ultimate fear in life. However, there are some films that truly force its audience to watch in anticipation and dread. One recent example of this is the French nail-biter 13 Tzameti.

This overlooked film does not begin with much intensity. It takes its time in introducing its protagonist, Sebastian (George Babluani). Sebastian is a mild-mannered handy-man who respectfully minds his own business while desperately trying to scrape by on table scraps from the wealthy. While fixing the roof of a disturbed rich man, Sebastian stumbles upon an invitation-only opportunity that could yield profit. After finding the opportunity to get his hands on an invitation, he pursues this secret event.

After following specific instructions, Sebastian travels from one place to another until he is hardly aware of his own location. However, he does reach his destination. What Sebastian does find is indeed a profitable venture, but not an easy one. In order to take home big money to support himself, he must first test his own courage and stare death directly in the eye.

What Sebastian discovers occupies at least the second half of 13, and it would be a sin as a film critic to reveal what exactly it is that the protagonist finds. Though, it would also be fair to briefly summarize it as the infamous Russian roulette sequence from The Deer Hunter on speed. It is Sebastian's unfortunate finding that contributes to the effectiveness of 13 as a truly convincing thriller.

Shot in crisp black and white from start to finish, this is a film that relies on colorlessness to convey its tone. This is not a picture that eventually gives into colorful resolutions, finding lost love, and puppy dogs. Instead it only wants to emphasize the drabness of living in poverty, and the lifelessness of coming into contact with death. 13 does not promote a positive agenda through its appearance or storytelling.

While not positive in nature, it is important to remember that this is not a boring film. 13 starts out slow with a very necessary character introduction, but it ends up becoming a rather disturbing, attention-grabbing thrill ride. Most of this is psychological in nature as it takes its time portraying the fragility of life, and forcing the audience to watch this at a slow and repetitious pace. This is not even kosher for the adrenaline junkie that thrives on thrillers. This thriller that is colorless and disturbing in nature is not for everyone, but it will certainly appeal to cinephiles who desire more gripping realism in their movie-going experience.

The DVD which I am reviewing is an incomplete screener copy. Therefore, I do not have access to its extra features. However, here is a preliminary list of the extras included:

Interview with Director Gela Babluani and Georges Babluami

Interview with Aurelien Recoing

Deleted Scenes

Testimony of a Survivor

Widescreen. As previously mentioned, the film is shot entirely in black and white. This is effective in taking away the focus from red bloodshed and instead focusing on the psychological aspects.

5.1 Dolby Surround. While the film includes a hypnotic score, it is more a more meditative film that does not want to distract its audience with sound.

Standard DVD keep case. The front cover shows the back side of an unfortunate victim's head from the film.

While I wouldn't hail this as a masterpiece, I very much enjoyed 13 Tzameti. This is a thriller that knows how to rile up its audience while being subtle and conscientious of its aesthetics. After a slow start, this film picks up the pace. Rarely does a thriller hold my attention and force me to empathize with its characters so much. I wouldn't go so far to suggest a blind buy for this bad boy, but a rental is definitely in order.

*Note: This is a very early review. The street date for this title is February 13, 2007.

Questions? Comments? Just want to talk movies? Drop me a line at dodd@movieweb.com