We hear a lot about juvenile delinquencies
and try to pass judgements on them, without understanding their background and
circumstances in which they grew into delinquents. Tsotsi is a South African film that deals with this theme. It is
the story of Tsotsi, a juvenile delinquent. He has become so due to various
circumstances surrounding his upbringing in dire poverty.
In the film, though, he is faced with a
peculiar situation. While trying to steal a car, he realises that he has got a
baby as bonus in the car. He has no choice but to take care of the little one.
He uses his gun and muscle power to force people around him, especially a mother
of a new-born, into taking care of the kid. In the meantime, he has to make a
lot of compromises on his ‘profession’ of extorting people. In the end, though,
his real human nature comes to the fore.
Director: Gavin Hood
Film Clip
What is unique about this film is that it
suggests even deviants as having a human face. No-one by nature can be bad.
There is some goodness in all of us and different crucial circumstances bring
forth that goodness in all of us. In fact, he seems to regain his lost childhood in the company of the new-found baby.
The
film is indeed a class art for more than one reason. The camera work is smooth
and uninterrupting. The narration too has its beauty, in that it does not tend
to overdo the crime décor of the theme. Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae) captures our attention,
despite him being an ‘anti-social entity’. The film has a unique touch of Zulu
culture in most parts, especially in the Kwaito background score.
- Melwyn Pinto SJ
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