Far from the ghetto streets of Soweto, the South African drama "Tsotsi" resonates with a raw freshness and immediacy and an almost mythic sense of reclamation and redemption.

As a foreign-language nominee for the Academy Awards, "Tsotsi" brings Athol Fugard's novel about the mean streets of 1950's South Africa into modern times, updating the story to offer an insightful glimpse of post-apartheid life, from its most violently severe to its most culturally vibrant. "Tsotsi" really has a sense a realism to it. Not only is the movie and storyline good it also gives an inside look into South Africa.

Director Gavin Hood, who also wrote the screenplay, packs a poetic spiritual journey into an intense hour and a half, tracing a teen's transformation from almost mindlessly robotic thug to incipient manchild experiencing his first stirrings of compassion and decency. Propelled by the beat-crazy "Kwaito" music of co star and South African pop singer Zola, "Tsotsi" presents a sterling film debut by Presley Chweneyagae in the title role as a young gang leader whose anger and animal ferocity seemingly doom him into early death.

In "Tsotsi-Taal", the street language of Soweto used in the film, "Tsotsi" is a generic term for thug or gangster. Chweneyagae's Tsotsi embodies that identity, a 19 year old orphan who raised himself in the streets and learned in the process that envoking fear in others was his surest means to survive and thrive. Even though he is portrayed as a villan at first, this movie is so well shot, that you almost understand why he is so violent, as an audience you become understanding to his character's struggle. Tsotsi leads a starnge gang of thugs an ex-teacher named Boston(Mothusi Magano), a vicious killer Butcher(Zenzo Ngqobe) and a rather dumb but very loyal criminal named Aap(Kenneth Nkosi). These four young men are basically all they have, and the crimes they committ are their way of surviving.

At a bar one drunken night, Boston pushes Tsotsi to share some personal shred of his dark and hidden past. Tsotsi seems to have repressed all childhood memories and sprung full-blown as an alpha-wolf of the streets, yet Boston's taunting pleas spark buried feelings of anxiety and dread in the gang leader. Which eventually leads Tsotsi to reform and take a harder look into to criminal and violent life that he is leading. However at the time Tsotsi responds the only way he knows how, with rage. He viciously beats Boston, then sensing the repugnance of the other bar patrons and even the members of his own gang, he flees. Whatever raw nerve the incident has touched in Tsotsi, the random events that follow set him on a course of either damnation or deliverance. Tsotsi finds himself on the lam from police after a carjacking goes wrong, resulting in violence and leaving him with a 3 month old baby that was in the backseat of the car he stole. He becomes very attached to the baby and won't abondoned the baby.

All of this action is packed into the movie's opening moments, the remainder of the film slowly reveals Tsotsi's humanity and his softer side. Directir Gavin Hood draws stellar performances from the entire casat, which is especially impressive considering most of the actors/actresses were making their acting debut. But newcommer Chweneyagae(Tsotsi) makes the movie what it is. He really does an excellent job with his character.

The songs of popular South African singer Zola, who has a brief role as an associate of Tsotsi's gang, provides an infectious backdrop that both contrasts the film's deliberate pace and complements Soweto's gritty, vigorous street life. "Kwaito" music is an amalgam dance, rap, and pop styles whose heavy beat reflects an air of pride and defiance among South African township after apartheid.

Overall this is just a really good movie. However if you are just a casual movie fan you may not appreciate it as much. If you are someone (like myself) who really gets into all types of movies then you should enjoy this movie. Especially considering the facts, it's a lower type of budget movie, they don't have all the money and other resources to make an indepedent film like this, but they still made it work with great performances, great script, and everything else. I would recommend this movie to everyone, it may be better for avid movie fans though. It is similar to the movie "City of God", if you have seen that movie and liked it you should enjoy this one also.

Recommended:
Yes