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Tsotsi
2005
An Academy Award winning film about a gritty young gang leader named Tsotsi who lives on the dangerous and crime-ridden streets of Johannesburg, South Africa. This deeply affecting film traces six days in Tsotsi's life in which he ends up caring for a baby he accidentally kidnaps during a carjacking. With the baby's welfare at .. Read more
| Starring | Presley Chweneyagae, Mothusi Magano, Percy Matsemela, Terry Pheto |
|---|---|
| Director | Gavin Hood |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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Tsotsi
An Academy Award winning film about a gritty young gang leader named Tsotsi who lives on the dangerous and crime-ridden streets of Johannesburg, South Africa. This deeply affecting film traces six days in Tsotsi's life in which he ends up caring for a baby he accidentally kidnaps during a carjacking. With the baby's welfare at stake, Tsotsi is compelled to confront his own brutal nature and face the consequences of his actions if he ever wishes to find redemption in his life.
This riveting drama about the triumph of love over rage is based on the acclaimed book by author and playwright Athol Fugard and features South African dance music, Kwaito.
| Starring | Presley Chweneyagae, Mothusi Magano, Percy Matsemela, Terry Pheto, Jerry Mofokeng, Rapulana Seiphemo, Ian Roberts, Kenneth Nkosi |
|---|---|
| Director | Gavin Hood |
| Studio | MOMENTUM PICTURES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 34 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | English |
| Subtitles | Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans |
| Released | DVD: 17 Jul 2006 Production year: 2005 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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Hood elicits a great performance from Presley Chweneyagae as the delinquent hero slowly beginning to question his life of casual violence... Individual scenes are staged with tremendous verve
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Fresh from its win at last weeks Oscars, Gavin Hoods important and vital if a little heavy-handed film is... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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71 out of 78 people found this review helpful
Glad I Saw this....
Be absorbed into a cruel and relentless world of random violence and crime due to poverty and abandonment. Be taken a journey with the main character, played brilliantly by Presley Chweneyagae, as he reaches a point in his life where he is spiralling downwards into lonliness, anger and alienation. But for a baby (without giving anything away!), who knows what whether he would have wanted the lower the shield he puts up in his harsh reality. This captivating thriller is being compared to City of God - rightly so, but I think it stands out on its own. You will feel every emotion as you watch Tsotsi (meaning 'thug') through 6 days of his life in Johannesburg and how he reluctantly lets go of his demons to become a new person. The suspense is gripping and you just want to know what is going to happen next. Great acting, great story. The film addresses many important issues such as friendship, parenting, responsibility, gaps in society,forgiveness, homelessness and survival but in a very subtle way -carefully sidestepping sentiment and deveoping into something more complex and surprising. It reached every part of me with it's raw energy. It also has an infectious soundtrack. Despite it's title, it's not a violent film. On the contrary - Everyone will enjoy this movie as it is thoroughly uplifting for the spirit. Old, young, male, female, fans of foreign movies or not - everyone should see this film.
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Most recent members' review
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4 out of 5 people found this review helpful
well done
Being an ex-pat I found this to be a slightly limited, yet rather raw peek into a very real side of a crippling reality that South Africa is dealing with. Elements of the film struck me as idealistic, probably because they occur in only in a very small minority of cases and because they are what we wish may happen leaving ‘us’ not as deeply affected by such events… if only...
This film is shown to you from a perspective looking across opposing economic standings and not the various races that make up the nation. I do absolutely appreciate the message the team who put this together are trying to get across here, stringing together elements of reality, tragedy, desperation, compassion and hope.
This film will most likely serve as a reminder to some or for others a look at the inside track of ‘things we only read of in the papers’ – here’s more of the backdrop.
The soundtrack is beautiful and compliments the emotionally compelling attraction of the film leaving one feeling touched, moved and more aware.
Well recommended. -
News and features
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Mandela shares mischievous youth stories with Tsotsi stars
- 17 Mar 2006
Nelson Mandela has admitted that he indulged in a little criminal behaviour in his younger years. After meeting the cast of Oscar award winning film Tsotsi, the elderly statesman said he identified with the main gangster character of the film through his younger days as a pig thief. He told cast members Presley Chweneyagae and Terry Pheto and director Gary Hood that he used to use beer dregs to attract pigs for roasting. "We'd go to the direction of the wind, so that the wind would blow... Read more
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