13 (Tzameti)

Thanks to Time Out, I got a preview screening of 13 (or Tzameti – but what does that mean?) the debut film by Georgian-French filmmaker Géla Babluani. It’s a pretty impressive debut, shot in atmospheric black and white and it’s a pleasingly tense thriller, which for a considerable time changes into a bit of a white knuckle ride. And although it doesn’t give that much to chew on afterwards, the movie is memorable for both the original concept and a fine performance from the director’s young brother George, who plays the lead role of a young, poor immigrant worker, drawn into a mysterious and dangerous scheme to make some money.

I’ll do a proper review of the film on Collective soon, but it’s best to say that if you’re going to see it, try to avoid reviews, as they may give away the central concept which I reckon it would be better not to know. I wish I hadn’t seen Jonathan Ross trailing '13' just before Christmas, as the clip sorta gave the main game away. It was still exciting, but it may have been even more so if I hadn’t seen it (my review won’t give it away!).

The showing I went to was later than usual for these Time Out preview screenings, maybe because it had a Q&A with the director and the lead actor afterwards. To be honest, it didn’t really reveal that much, apart from that the director got ideas from the film from his own life (though the story is made up) and that any future films he makes are likely to be similarly bleak. But maybe that was down to the language barrier (he spoke with an interpreter). Or the less than incisive questions.