Tsotsi
Synopsis: A gang leader shoots a woman and steals her car, but when he drives away he finds her baby in the back seat.
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Review
This film is the well deserved winner of the 2005 Academy Award in the Foreign Language category, representing South Africa. It tells a captivating story of redemption set in a poor neighborhood outside of Johannesburg.
Tsotsi is a tough and brutal gang leader who has no real purpose in life. He spends his days mugging people, and many times killing them afterwards, without feeling a bit of remorse or compassion. But his life takes an abrupt turn the day he shoots a woman and steals her car. As he drives away he realizes that the woman’s little baby is in the back seat. Not knowing what to do at first, he takes the baby home and hides it from his fellow gangsters. But Tsotsi, who had a difficult childhood, cannot bring himself to abandon the baby, so he will go to a young mother that lives in his neighborhood and with her help will care for the infant.
Besides the exceptional story (adapted by director Gavin Hood from the novel by Athol Fugard), this film features the excellent first time actor Presley Chweneyagae, who plays the complex Tsotsi with masterful skills. Also worth mentioning is the stunning visuals of this movie, hopefully the images that accompany this review give an idea of how beautiful the photography is. I strongly recommended this film, definitely one of Africa’s best.
©2008 by Miguel Grinberg
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