Tsotsi paints grim picture of poverty in Africa
Photo courtesy Miramax Films
The titular Tsotsi, played by Presly Chweneyagae, struggles through a life of poverty and crime in South Africa.
Let’s face it, Hollywood hasn’t made decent original movies in the last few years. Almost every movie coming out is a sequel, based on a comic book, or a remake. Worse, the trend is very strong and isn’t stopping in the near future.
This does not mean there aren’t great movies out there. There are, if you know where to look. Moviegoers are increasingly going to foreign films to fill the void left by Hollywood. Currently, an amazing movie named Tsotsi is playing at the United Artists Tara Theater.
Tsotsi is a critically acclaimed South African film that has won countless awards, including this year’s Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Tsotsi is the simple story of a 16-year-old Johannesburg gangster named Tsotsi, played by Presly Chweneyagae. Like James Joyce’s Ulysses, time in Tsotsi is stretched, and the story takes place in six days.
Tsotsi has only known poverty his entire life. He doesn’t have dreams of grandeur, just survival. To survive, he has to rob and kill people. One robbery goes very badly and Tsotsi is confronted with a choice: should he keep living the life he has known or change and find redemption? The movie revolves around this universal question.
Tsotsi is not your typical main character. He is deeply flawed, complex and makes mistakes...a lot of mistakes. Mistakes are typical for any teen, but because of his unique position, mistakes mean life and death.
Tsotsi will shake you to your core. Seeing its poverty will make you feel shock and outrage, outraged that an entire continent has been neglected and used by the world for hundreds of years.
What is worse is the contrast in wealth. Johannesburg’s poor number one million, and their make-shift homes are shadowed by the city’s skyscrapers.
Tsotsi should be experienced on the big screen to feel it, really feel it. The cinematography is brilliant, especially the use of light and darkness as symbols. The music is amazing and different from what Americans are used to.
I absolutely loved this movie and believe everyone should see it.
