Dir. Gela Babluani, France/Georgia, 2005, 86 mins, subtitles, b/w
Cast: George Babluani, Philippe Passon, Pascal Bongard, Aurelian Recoing
Review by Alison Best
“Man is only born once and dies only once – there’s nothing in between. Be philosophical about it.”
13, as the title might suggest, is all about luck and it’s loftier cousin, fate. Sebastien (Babluani) is a young, poverty-stricken immigrant who is trying to replete the family finances by repairing the roof of the morphine-addicted Godon (Passon). Unfortunately, the old man dies before he can repay the boy and his wife admits that, with the property now passing to the hands of the man’s sister, it’s not her problem.
Having been dealt a cruel hand by fate, and still in desperate need for cash, Sebastien seizes an opportunity to make what might be some easy money. Having overheard a conversation, and finding a letter with information and train tickets, he decides to follow instructions originally meant for Godon, taking his place and seeing where they might lead him.
What he finds is a game of chance where the stakes are the highest imaginable. Suddenly finding there is no going back, Sebastien discovers that he is player number 13 in a deadly game of Russian roulette, the sport of a ring of illegal gamblers who place bets on who will be the last man standing. The financial reward for that man may be great, but even if we wins, all may still be lost.
26-year-old director Babluani, the son of Temur Babluani (‘La Migration des Moineaux’ and ‘The Sun of the Wakeful’) grew up in Giorgia, in the civil war of the post-Berlin Wall era, characterised by corruption, shoot-outs, soldiers and death. The influence of his formative years is evident in ‘13’ which exposes a dark underworld whose real existence, now you come to actually think about, seems all-too-likely. From the outset, the music sets a tone of suspense, evoking a slow throbbing heart beat, like that of someone sauntering slowly in the dark at night, stopping because they think they hear something, and then carrying on again. That something, in this film, is both a policeman who is on the trail of the illegal ring, and fate itself.
Shot in black and white, the dark and gritty realism pays homage to the Soviet movies of the silent era, and – once Sebastien has made his journey and is fully ensnared in the dilapidated building, peopled with cold-blooded strangers willing to chance life for money, the tension is both gripping and appalling. Although Sebastien has entered into a Faustian Pact, and is quickly desensitised to the nature of the game, the audience is complicit in this spectator sport, willing that ‘luck’ be on the side of number 13. However, as Sebastien is advised as he comes to terms with the game, it is indeed correct that man dies only once – whatever else happens to Sebastien in life, the ‘man’ in him is destroyed the moment he takes his first shot – he is damned.
The question posed by ‘13’ is – should a man accept his fate or try to make his own luck. Sebastien tries to change his because life has dictated that his family lives an impoverished existence. Should this be commended? And if it is, should we further applaud Sebastien for entering into the game? One could argue he didn’t know what he was getting himself into, and that if he does not he will be killed – but he took that chance, so accepted the rules, or else he could stand by his principles and choose to die (which may happen anyway even if he plays) but with his soul intact. Is fate itself playing a game with Sebastien; did it set up the scenario by denying him the comforts of life in the first place, or has Sebastien just took his chances and made his own luck? Is not the whole escapade a depressing metaphor for humanity – the have’s controlling the have not’s, pitting man against man in order to survive, cultivating a resigned acceptance of the way things are in the process. Let’s not forget Babluani’s cultural and geographical background here.
‘13’ is a tremendously thought-provoking vision that provokes much philosophical musing. However, as a movie, it is well-paced – slow and measured; dynamic and brutal by turn – stark, and with the ability to keep the audience’s combined nerves just on the brink of shattering. That Babluani’s star is in the ascendant is more than a matter of luck.
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13 (Tzameti) is released on UK Region 2 DVD on 3rd April, 2006 by Revolver Home Entertainment. Extras include cast and crew interviews
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