Tsotsi

Tsotsi (2005) Directed by Gavin Hood is a very powerful film that takes place in the slums of Johannesburg, South Africa. One of the very first scenes started off very violent as 4 thugs kill an older man for his money. The 4 thugs Tsotsi, Aap, Butcher, and Boston are a small time gang that rob, mug, and kill for a living. Tsotsi has a falling out with his gang when he beats Boston for questioning him about his emotions, background, and name. This caused Tsotsi to leave; as he fled the scene he shoots a woman in attempt to take her car. After driving for a few miles he realizes that there is an infant in the car. He then strips the car of its valuables along with the baby that was in it. He continues his thug life style while caring for this child. He finds a woman that has a newborn infant herself and forces her at gunpoint to feed the child. After feeding the child she asks to clean him. As the story goes on Tsotsi starts to feel something for the woman that cares for the child he kidnapped.  She then reveals to him that she knows where the baby came from and to please return him to the mother. Tsotsi was torn, but something inside of him made him decide to return the child to his family.

I feel like this movie had a few different themes. Life in poverty is one of them. Although to many of us the life style Tsotsi and his gang lives is considered despicable. It is the unfortunate reality that exists in our world. Some people have no choice but to live this way due to the circumstances that they find themselves in. Another main theme is disparity. You see it in the way most people are living in the slums and the lifestyles they have. As opposed to the parents of the kidnapped child, who live much differently than the other characters in the film. They have luxurious cars a beautiful house with a gate and top of the line alarm system.

I personally enjoyed this film very much. It was powerful in many ways and it captured my attention immediately. I started out absolutely hating Tsotsi. How can a human being be so cold? But as the movie played out you begin to learn more about the character, and realize all the reasons that lie behind his actions and it makes you begin to sympathize with him. I like the connections they make with the flash back scenes that Tsotsi has to put all the pieces together. Through out the movie I felt like Tsotsi was putting up a wall to protect his true feelings inside which was that he never had love in his life. But finally starts to feel it with the baby, and because of the baby the woman who breast-fed the baby came into his life and he began to fall for her mothering nature. The story line was fantastic. I enjoyed watching a film in a foreign language from a foreign country it was a wonderful experience to see the way other cultures live. The actors did a wonderful job and I definitely recommend this movie. Very good!