The ugliness and squalor of Soweto stands in sharp contrast against the glass and concrete modern buildings of downtown Johannesburg. The disparity is captured by Gavin Hood and his cinematographer Lance Gewer in "Tsotsi". The film is based on an Athol Fugard novel we haven't read, but having seen most of his important plays, it follows this writer's vision about his homeland.
Tsotsi is a product of the slums. His father is a cruel man who doesn't even allow the young boy to be near his dying mother. She appears to be an AIDS victim, and, in her husband's ignorance he believes it's contagious. Tsotsi grows up fending for himself and the result is a predator who will do anything in order to survive.
This young man enters a life of crime, as witnessed in the opening scenes on the packed train where Tsotsi and his gang surrounds a victim that happens to have displayed his money in public. For the next victim, Tsotsi chooses a woman who is returning home. After shooting her, he takes her car, only to discover later on a young infant has been riding in the back seat.
That boy will be the only way this petty criminal's soul would soften as he begins a bonding with the baby. As he gets frustrated with the care of the infant, he decides to follow a young woman, the mother of a toddler; Tsotsi knows she has the milk the baby needs for nourishment. Miriam, who realizes Tsotsi is the man being hunted by the authorities asks him to let her keep and take care of the baby, but even this hard thug can't part with the baby, who has awakened in him a tender side of his character.
The film shows a good director, Gavin Hood, under control. Mr. Hood got excellent performances all around. Presley Chweneyagae makes an impression as the title character in the movie. Mathusi Magano, is Boston, the man Tsotsi beats savagely, after he crosses him. Terry Pheto is also memorable as the young Miriam, a woman who has lost her own husband to thugs roaming the slums where they live.
Another great asset is the background music heard in the film. It enhances the movie as interpreted by Zola, who also plays Fela, the rival boss of another gang.
At times, "Tsotsi" is hard to sit through because of the violence one sees. For a film from South Africa, this film comes as a surprise because it feels true from beginning to end, thanks to the excellent work of Gavin Hood.
Tsotsi is a product of the slums. His father is a cruel man who doesn't even allow the young boy to be near his dying mother. She appears to be an AIDS victim, and, in her husband's ignorance he believes it's contagious. Tsotsi grows up fending for himself and the result is a predator who will do anything in order to survive.
This young man enters a life of crime, as witnessed in the opening scenes on the packed train where Tsotsi and his gang surrounds a victim that happens to have displayed his money in public. For the next victim, Tsotsi chooses a woman who is returning home. After shooting her, he takes her car, only to discover later on a young infant has been riding in the back seat.
That boy will be the only way this petty criminal's soul would soften as he begins a bonding with the baby. As he gets frustrated with the care of the infant, he decides to follow a young woman, the mother of a toddler; Tsotsi knows she has the milk the baby needs for nourishment. Miriam, who realizes Tsotsi is the man being hunted by the authorities asks him to let her keep and take care of the baby, but even this hard thug can't part with the baby, who has awakened in him a tender side of his character.
The film shows a good director, Gavin Hood, under control. Mr. Hood got excellent performances all around. Presley Chweneyagae makes an impression as the title character in the movie. Mathusi Magano, is Boston, the man Tsotsi beats savagely, after he crosses him. Terry Pheto is also memorable as the young Miriam, a woman who has lost her own husband to thugs roaming the slums where they live.
Another great asset is the background music heard in the film. It enhances the movie as interpreted by Zola, who also plays Fela, the rival boss of another gang.
At times, "Tsotsi" is hard to sit through because of the violence one sees. For a film from South Africa, this film comes as a surprise because it feels true from beginning to end, thanks to the excellent work of Gavin Hood.