Tsotsi
Starring Presley Chweneyagae.
When we first meet Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae), he doesn’t make the kindest impression. In fact the name “Tsotsi” — meaning “young thug” in the local dialect — is not the main character’s name but a nickname, and a fitting one at that. Young Tsotsi is the leader of a gang in the Johannesburg township of Soweto, whose livelihood involves hanging around with his fellow tsotsis at the local train station watching for a suitably vulnerable target to follow and rob at knifepoint. When one such robbery goes wrong and the gang kill a defenceless old man, one of the gang members boldly dares to lecture Tsotsi about decency. Tsotsi beats him to within an inch of his life at the bar, and then heads home. You know, teenager stuff.
However, things get turned upside down when he mistakenly kidnaps a baby during the frantic car-jacking of a middle-class woman outside her home. Afraid to leave the baby behind yet equally afraid to return the kid and face the consequences, he takes the baby with him and abandons the car at the roadside. The film follows the next six days in Tsotsi’s life, and we realise pretty soon that it’s never going to be the same.
It’s quite a simple story really, which at times works for the film and at times against it. Tsotsi has all the hallmarks of this kind of movie: the “bad” guy with a troubled past, moved to rediscover his morality by the innocence of a child. You’ve seen it before, and for this reason it is at times just a little bit obvious and a little bit predictable. However the acting is terrific, most notably by Chweneyagae who communicates the guarded depth of his character with skill and subtlety. Where it could have so easily become overblown and melodramatic, Chweneyagae’s acting is realistic and he deserves complete credit for the film’s most powerful scenes.
The other strong point is the atmosphere of the film. The energy of the impoverished township is captured perfectly with great-looking shots and lively Kwaito music (think hip-hop, house music, and traditional African beats rolled into one), which sits in stark contrast to the affluent Johannesburg suburbs. Although not perfect, this Oscar-winning film has a lot going for it. As familiar as the story may be, the film’s atmosphere draws you in, while the strong performances are measured enough that they don’t break the spell.
A-
Tim Greenwell
