Tsotsi

Rating: M – Contains Violence & Offensive Language.
Duration: 90 mins.
Genre: Festival & Foreign.
Actors: Ian Roberts, Mothusi Magano, Zenzo Ngqobe, Kenneth Nkosi, Jerry Mofokeng, Terry Pheto, Presley Chweneyagae, Rapulana Seiphemo.
Director: Gavin Hood.
Release Date: Available Now.

Tsotsi is a story of redemption, a little too clean in places, but non-the-less, an emotional redemptive tale.

Survival in a Johannesburg shantytown is no easy feat, especially if you’re a male with an ego, as all males are, especially if you’re the leader of a small gang, as Tsotsi is.

Making their money by riding the train into town and mugging people, the stakes are raised when Tsotsi kills a man on the train for his money. His boys aren’t too happy about the increased level of their criminal path, and one in particular gets vocal with Tsotsi.

Tsotsi being the alpha male leader with an ego has no other choice but the smash his friend to a pulp, near killing him.

This fractures the gang and sends Tsotsi on a voyage of self-discovery and the need for more money. Taking cover from a storm - which is metaphoric for what his life is about to become – under a tree in a well to do suburb, he sees a woman arrive home to find her automatic gate opener isn’t working.

Seeing an opportunity, Tsotsi runs across the road when she gets out of her BMW, with the idea of car jacking. Things turn nasty when she puts up a fight and Tsotsi accidentally shoots her.

Panicked, Tsotsi takes the car and races off into the night, only to have an accident when he’s gets distracted by the reason the woman put up a fight; a baby in the back seat.

After an all too brief, what-the-hell-do-I-do-now scene, Tsotsi decides to take and care for the baby. He has found purpose in his life.

The only trouble is he has no idea how too look after the baby.

Now his journey to redemption can begin, as he starts to see people as humans, not just possible targets. Tsotsi’s path will also have to cross his past as he deals with where he came from so he can see where he has to go.

The film is filled with much emotion and some really good film work. The story as a whole is a good one, but the script and direction is a little to forced.

Having said that however, Tsotsi is a good watch, and gets you thinking on a number of levels.

Food for thought:
Can the darkest evils ever find redemption?

Rent or Buy?
Rent it, once you’ve seen how it plays out, you’ll likely not get anymore out of this film.