Considering the third world country aspect is the most imporant reflection of Tsotsi, along with the morals and developmWhile not ent of its central character of the same name as the title of the film. Tsotsi falls somewhere between the description of an urban thriller and crime story. A genre of crime stories is typical among any cinema, but in African cinema it is a little bit different because the goals of the main characters are not those of intelligent minds. Africa is a place where desolation is apparent and especially in South Africa the crime rate is very high. Since the 1970's South Africa has been talked about since their crime rate as developed somewhat of an infamous conversation piece among people who don't know too much about Africa. Here's a small sample of Tsotsi. Enjoy this trailer for the film:
After the development of its story line it becomes abvious that crime for the central charcters is a way of life, and they really don't know any better. In a sense of the world decency comes to mind, which is brought to light by one of the members of Tsotsi's gang. The one gang menber Boston, who is beaten up by Tsotsi at one point is a character that tries to inform Tsotsi about decency, which is a reoccuring theme throughout the entire movie. Most of Tsotsi's early actions in the film show a lack of respect and decency, which can be said about a lot of our world today because people in general lack decency! Here in America things come easy to certain people, but most must suffer. The same is for third world countries as well because the only difference aside from the landscape is that they have less food than us. In the 1980's getting money for third world countries was gaining popularity. Here's a clip of one of many commercials:
In relation to Africa, the country has gone through many changes both good and bad. One of the most violent and intense times in African history was when in the 1970's when Idi Amin Dada, was in power. His control over his country men and violent temper and tactics made him an evil infamous man in African history. There is much to be said about crime in third world countries such as Africa.
The ending of Tsotsi brings forth a light of redemption to the main character. It certainly was a turn of events when he gave the kid back to the family. The mind of a criminal is tough sometimes to locate because many things can lead into the mind of a thug & killer. Demented and dangerous are certainly two words that in today's world can be put to describe many famous criminals like Manson, Bundee & Gacy who are considered evil in a sense of the word however, Tsotsi turns his persona around by the end of the film. The usual character development is obvious in Tsotsi, from beginning to the end when Tsotsi's mind becomes that of someone who develops respect, decency and a true sense of right and wrong. The study of criminal minds is something of interest because seeing the early signs of an up and coming criminal means that maybe with a little help they can change. Here's a clip of an interview with someone who is a criminal in the honest sense of the word:
I'll say one thing I would not be very fond of traveling to South Africa on my vacation. Trouble never ends in no matter what society you are in however, some nations are taking steps to try and change that. There is one thing you can't always change and that is the beginning of a persons life. Those who are privelaged are born with little or no worry whereas, those who have less or no money must make their way through a cutthroat world with little or no help. The gap between the rich and poor is not getting better it is getting worse and crime is a solution that a lot of young people turn towards in a world that they believe gives them nothing except grief! This riot shows an example of just how unruly the people have become because of society:
As a crime drama Tsotsi, scores high on the quality scale of depiction of human emotion and life. The acting is first class from the main character to the smallest part. The musical score is also effective. I am not a fan of rap music, but it works to an advantage to help along the atmosphere of the scenes. Music is an important tool to be used as a conveyer of emotions. Here's a musical clip from Tsotsi:
In the end no one will be disappointed with Tsotsi. The film's director should be most proud of his effort put forth because it is nicely shot, well acted, beautiful scenery and the story is tight and strong with current situtations that happen throughout the world. The race may change, but not the message because in the end it doesn't matter if your black, white or fu##in' purple, we are all people and some choose the right path in life and others don't! Two thumbs up to Tsotsi.
Here's one last scene from Tsotsi to tide you over:
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