13 Tzameti

2006 1h 33m FR

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 267

ActionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Sebastian, a young man, has decided to follow instructions intended for someone else, without knowing where they will take him. Something else he does not know is that Gerard Dorez, a cop on a knife-edge, is tailing him. When he reaches his destination, Sebastian falls into a degenerate, clandestine world of mental chaos behind closed doors in which men gamble on the lives of others men.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

MUBISubscription

MUBI Amazon ChannelSubscription

Cast

Giorgi Babluani
Sebastien
Aurélien Recoing
Jacky
Pascal Bongard
Le maître de cérémonie
Fred Ulysse
Alain
Nicolas Pignon
Romain
Vania Vilers
M. Schloendorf
Christophe Vandevelde
Ludo
Olga Legrand
Christine Godon

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gela Babluani
Writers: Gela Babluani
Languages: German, Georgian, French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 20 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, Georgian, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gela Babluani, shot by Tariel Meliava. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Didier Lozahic shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Giorgi Babluani and Aurélien Recoing and Pascal Bongard carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0475169 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gela Babluani directs. Tariel Meliava behind the camera. Didier Lozahic cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in German, Georgian, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 20 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, Georgian, French.
3Directed by Gela Babluani, shot by Tariel Meliava. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Didier Lozahic shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Giorgi Babluani and Aurélien Recoing and Pascal Bongard carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0475169 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 9 themes, including "france", "repair", "test of courage", "overdose".

The technical file

Cinematography: Tariel Meliava
Editing: Didier Lozahic
Production design: Laurent Usse
Sound: Elias Ludovic
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $767,311
Original language: FR
IMDB: 13 Tzameti (2006)

Awards

European Film Award for European Discovery of the Year
Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Gela Babluani

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-11-20
★ 7/10
Well if you thought being a roofer was a dangerous enough job, just wait til you meet the young “Sébastian” (George Babluani). He is working on a property when he finds a piece of paper left atop his wheelbarrow. Now we know how it got there but he doesn’t, so it makes for quite an intrigue when he finds it contains instructions that take him to a locker, then onto a train, then into the hands of some unscrupulous gents who now coerce him into a game that could quite literally deliver life and death at the flick of a switch. Of course, he is terrified and anxious but he has been promised a big pay day, so can he persevere under the gaze of an especially menacing MC (Pascal Bongard)? And even if he does, can he trust any of his new best friends to keep their word? There are a few subplots with the police, the original candidate for the peril and an axe to the bathroom door, and I really didn’t like the ending at all - but for the most part Babluani and the intense photography make this one of the most compelling thrillers I’ve seen for ages. The structure of the drama helps perpetuate the jeopardy and the performances and the limited but potent dialogue as we get to the pointy end really do prove quite tense. It packs a lot into ninety minutes and is well worth a watch if you like your crime-noirs pretty brutal without being bloodthirsty.

Production companies