With his first film 13 (Tzameti), Géla Babluani won the European Discovery of the Year at the 2006 European Film Awards. What makes his second feature so refreshing is how stunningly different it is from his first. While 13 was filled to the brim with Tarantino-esque surreal and psychological violence, The Legacy is a simple and sophisticated tale of cultures clashing.

A Georgian interpreter, Nikolai, takes a job translating for three French people – one of whom just inherited a decrepit castle. Together, they board a bus from Tblisi to the small village that one of them will soon call home. But if it were all that simple, watching The Legacy wouldn’t be the subtle pleasure that it is. The plot is hijacked by a mute peddler, a handsome young stranger, his father, and their empty casket. Where they’re headed and how the French folk respond to that destination is what takes the film to its unique heights.

Don’t think you’ve figured out the ending, because you’ll be wrong; but it’s not a thriller, nor is it filled with life lessons or pat endings. I guess that it’s legacy. - Wm. Brian Owens