Tsotsi

Tsotsi is a 2005 Academy Award winning film from South Africa.  The film is about a murderous thug who unknowingly kidnaps a baby while stealing a car and chooses to take care of it.  This allows for a change in his own character and behavior as he becomes attached to the baby.   

    The major theme of this film was redemption.  The character of Tsotsi that we first see is a street thug out to rob and murder.  A simple twist of fate allowed Tsotsi’s character to go through a much needed change for the better.  After stealing a car with a baby in it, Tsotsi keeps the baby and looks after it. Tsotsi desperately wants to care for it and feed it.  He notices a mother on the street and forces her at gunpoint to feed the baby.  He probably had no intentions of ever shooting the woman, but needed to get his point across somehow.  Caring for the baby has controlled Tsotsi’s evil actions to a point.  He no longer was the heartless thug we saw in the beginning of the film.  He has not necessarily become a great person, he has just put an end to his thuggish ways.  Holding his hands up to the police at the end of the film will allow Tsotsi to achieve his full redemption after he serves his jail time.     

I enjoyed Tsotsi more than I thought I would.   Everything in the film was strong.  The acting, directing, and writing were all top notch.  The music also provided a strong background to the culture we see on the screen.  What I enjoyed about the film is that the story unraveled in a naturalistic way.  The true achievement of the film was its storytelling.  Nothing in the film was contrived or forced.  The story of a thug becoming a better man on paper sounds like a familiar idea.  However, this film gives it a fresh take.  I particularly enjoyed the film’s story.  The story of a thug becoming a different person through the power of redemption made for an interesting film.  The fact that caring for the baby changed his overall behavior was something I did not see coming.  It was never boring as I was intrigued to where the story was going to lead next.  I’m not sure if the film will hold up on repeat viewings.  Part of my enjoyment of the film was that I didn’t know what was going to happen.  However, I will still recommend the film, even to people who don’t normally watch foreign films.