13 Tzameti
Lincoln Centre and the Juilliard School of Music. A culture buff couldn't in all seriousness ask for more than that these bastions of the performing arts be locatef cheek by jowl in the heart of Manhattan. I am no culture buff and I do tend to be Twist-ian in asking for more. So when the Walter Reade theater, MoMA and Lincoln Centre organised the new directors/new films film festival, i jumped at the opportunity. My first choice for movies to watch was, for very obvious ( and sleazy ) reasons, an aptly titled In Bed. Quite understandably, that movie was sold out in double quick time. Then came a movie, an HBO original documentary, named Toll Free with John and Jane made as a docu-tribute to the burgeoning call centre industry in the motherland. I could've gotten tickets for that but once the festival was reviewed in the NY Times and this movie was named specifically as one to look out for, what chance did i have of getting tickets ahead of the patrons of the arts who probably make it a point to see and be seen at events which have been named in the NY Times over the preceding week.
So i decided to cut my losses and book my tickets in advance for the next movie which made me curious and thus was born a satisfying day of movie watching.
13 Tzameti is shot entirely in black and white. I must admit that throughout the movie I kept expecting the film to graduate to colour but on hindsight i think the choice was a wise one. There is something to be said about watching a modern, present day stories shot it black and white. For one, everyone looks much prettier than they would otherwise. Monochrome allows us to ignore the extraneous and focus exlusively on the viewpoint of the director.In this film, it also gives a few closed room scenes an added illicit dimension because of the texture of the medium. Of course, the black and white of today's cinema is much richer than of say 15 years ago.
This film is about a young 22 year old mason who by pluck, luck and nerve makes a stash of money. While repairing a decaying roof for an old drug addict and his lover/caretaker - allow me to digress at this point. This is something i've noticed in the few other french films I've seen. Directors in French cinema don't feel constrained to tie up noticable loose ends and gaps in the narrative. For example, in this film, its never made clear who the woman is. Is she a lover, a caretaker, nurse ? The script of the movie does not need her to be any one of the above and hence the director does not bother to explain what role this woman plays in the relation to the sick man. I like it inasmuch that it does make for a sparer movie - he finds a way to break into a ring of gamblers who play in the millions and play with human lives. Our hero has no idea that he is to be part of the game when he starts the trip into the heart of the gambling syndicate. Once he gets in as a replacement for the drug addict, only pure luck and nothing else can bring him out alive.
This film is not a moral fable, its not a heist, its not a skullduggery film. Its a bald narrative of a sequence of events which leads to our hero, player number 13, winning it all literally through sheer luck. How critical this element of luck will be can only be seen on screen to be believed. i don't remember last time i held my breath because of what i was seeing on screen - this was one of those movies. Anyhow, if you're expecting super hero moments or segues into the whys and the wherefores of our protagonist's life then you wont see any.
If you compare, this film to one of Kamal Haasan's scripting masterpieces, Virumaandi, you'll realize how much of a role music plays in building the atmosphere. Where Virumaandi was intentionally left scoreless so that viewers could draw their own conclusions, this director, Galu Balubian, plays us like a Stradi. The choice of music built the tension and sense of balance beautifully. Now onto the few important questions i will be asked to answer over the next few days as i discuss my weekend with friends an coworkers.
Would I recommend this movie to a friend ? Yes, if you're prepared to be immersed into the film.
Standout features - how the music gelled so well with the film.
Rate - 7/10.
So i decided to cut my losses and book my tickets in advance for the next movie which made me curious and thus was born a satisfying day of movie watching.
13 Tzameti is shot entirely in black and white. I must admit that throughout the movie I kept expecting the film to graduate to colour but on hindsight i think the choice was a wise one. There is something to be said about watching a modern, present day stories shot it black and white. For one, everyone looks much prettier than they would otherwise. Monochrome allows us to ignore the extraneous and focus exlusively on the viewpoint of the director.In this film, it also gives a few closed room scenes an added illicit dimension because of the texture of the medium. Of course, the black and white of today's cinema is much richer than of say 15 years ago.
This film is about a young 22 year old mason who by pluck, luck and nerve makes a stash of money. While repairing a decaying roof for an old drug addict and his lover/caretaker - allow me to digress at this point. This is something i've noticed in the few other french films I've seen. Directors in French cinema don't feel constrained to tie up noticable loose ends and gaps in the narrative. For example, in this film, its never made clear who the woman is. Is she a lover, a caretaker, nurse ? The script of the movie does not need her to be any one of the above and hence the director does not bother to explain what role this woman plays in the relation to the sick man. I like it inasmuch that it does make for a sparer movie - he finds a way to break into a ring of gamblers who play in the millions and play with human lives. Our hero has no idea that he is to be part of the game when he starts the trip into the heart of the gambling syndicate. Once he gets in as a replacement for the drug addict, only pure luck and nothing else can bring him out alive.
This film is not a moral fable, its not a heist, its not a skullduggery film. Its a bald narrative of a sequence of events which leads to our hero, player number 13, winning it all literally through sheer luck. How critical this element of luck will be can only be seen on screen to be believed. i don't remember last time i held my breath because of what i was seeing on screen - this was one of those movies. Anyhow, if you're expecting super hero moments or segues into the whys and the wherefores of our protagonist's life then you wont see any.
If you compare, this film to one of Kamal Haasan's scripting masterpieces, Virumaandi, you'll realize how much of a role music plays in building the atmosphere. Where Virumaandi was intentionally left scoreless so that viewers could draw their own conclusions, this director, Galu Balubian, plays us like a Stradi. The choice of music built the tension and sense of balance beautifully. Now onto the few important questions i will be asked to answer over the next few days as i discuss my weekend with friends an coworkers.
Would I recommend this movie to a friend ? Yes, if you're prepared to be immersed into the film.
Standout features - how the music gelled so well with the film.
Rate - 7/10.