13 (Tzameti) 2005

“This diabolical thriller, filmed in inky black and white, is as cold and sharp as razor blades stored in a subzero freezer. The director and screenwriter’s brother stars as Sébastien, a lean and hungry roofer in his early 20s from Georgia, the former Soviet republic, living in France. After surreptitiously pocketing a mysterious letter to a drug addict who dies of an overdose, he follows its directions to a secluded manor... Here he finds himself compelled to participate in a sophisticated variation of Russian roulette... The movie offers the ultimate comment on the depraved male appetite for dangerous thrills. It’s extreme sports times ten, realized with the ruthless, smirking sang-froid of early Roman Polanski.” — Stephen Holden, NY Times

“The terrible game of life is boiled down to its essentials in this new film from 26-year-old Georgian director Gela Babluani, who makes a stunning début with what might yet become a classic... This compelling film could well be remade by Hollywood. Make sure you see the original right now.” — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian