L'Heritage (The Legacy)

2006 movie, from the director whose most famous film is '13 Tzameti'.
This is a short little parable, which we grew into a rather enjoyed. In fact, it is very short. It seems like a short story, the way we have the lead up, the set up, the excitment, and the aftermath. A simple, linear structure. The characters are also deliberately not given much of a backing, much backdrop and 'deep' character scenes or action. In fact, they seem to come from the surface. We realise, as it comes towards the end, that this is a technique that is able to make a nice switch on us, that is able to suddenly turn and surprise us, as we realise the 'true' characterisation.
The shots are simple at first, but improve. We have lots of close-up, a complete loss of realistic space, which nicely balances the theme of how the lack of translation between the foreign environment and the cultural outsiders.
This theme deserves some explanation, and is perhaps the finest feature of the film. That fact that it turns out these French tourists really can't understand, really don't seem unable to be anything but in the way. It is a delicious little stab of a nice, a skewer, a sharp twist. This film changes perspective on us very cleverly, as we realise what's really going on here; about the Georgians, not about the French.
The colour also deserves a mention, the red faces really 'heating' up the atmosphere, really making things steam and sizzle with a sense of tension. Also notice with this the use of deep black tropes on both sides of the screen. The way it covers the windows and the backdrops.
This is a rather sweetly sharp film. Bitter, with a bit of tough to it, in its short short run time.