Tsotsi (2005)

Tsotsi is a movie from South Africa which won the best Foreign Language Oscar in 2005.
Tsotsi is centered around a small time gangster from the slums of Johannesburg, South Africa. The main character, Tsotsi grew up having a very tough life which is referenced in a series of flashbacks throughout the film. One day he chooses to carjack a rich woman's car in the suburbs of Johannesburg. Unknowingly he steals an infant boy along with the car. The rest of the film focuses on the interaction between Tsotsi and the baby and also his relationship with the other gangsters from his neighborhood.

My favorite part of this movie was the central theme that no soul has gone too far to be reformed. Tsotsi lived a tough life that clearly influenced his extremely violent criminal life. He had been conditioned to not be afraid of violence and to live a life of crime. He was able to find the compassion and love that was inside his soul by kidnapping the baby. The interaction between the infant and Tsotsi was very good and made for some memorable scenes. The transformation of the protagonist over the course of the story was very interesting and portrays a very positive view of human nature. Rather than suggesting that man can not repent for a previous life of crime the director states that any person can find love and compassion. I strongly agree with this statement by the director and find the story to be uplifting and inspirational.

The scenery in this movie was beautiful in an urban sense. The director takes the dirtiest slums and grimy train stations but makes them seem beautiful in their own special way. I really enjoyed the way the movie was filmed and it created an excellent tone for the movie. The music was an interesting mix of rap music with more traditional music. I enjoyed the music and it helped take this film to the next level.
This movie can be compared to the extremely popular Brazilian movie "City of God". They both have the setting of gangsters in the slums of a city. Both movies show the two paths that can be chosen by the lead characters; the good and the bad. Another similarity between the two films is that they do not glorify violence but glorify choosing the life of peace and legitimate activity rather than crime. A sense of helplessness of the protagonist is present in both films but they both find a way to eventually escape the violent nature of the slums they grew up in.

Overall, I loved this movie. My two favorite parts of the movie are the central message and the acting of the Presley Chweneyagae. Presley really stood out in his lead role as Tsotsi and carried the film. The scenery in the movie was fantastic and really gave the watcher a great feel for the environment. My only complaint would be that the movie was not long enough. I believe that more of Tsotsi's story could have been told, especially his troubled youth. There is definite re-watchability to this movie, as often as once a year. However the movie was very enjoyable and I would rate it 8/10.