Tsotsi (2005)

Tsotsi (2005), directed by Gavin Hood, tells the story of a young, amateur gang-leader from a slum in South Africa. Like the title of the movie, this scrappy, misguided individual is called Tsotsi, which means thug. He lives his life, along with his other gang members - Aap, Butcher, and Boston - by stealing, robbing, and ocassionally killing innocent people.

However, Tsotsi's whole life changes when, one night, he shoots a woman while stealing her car in a wealthy, suburban neighborhood. Not until further down the street when he crashes does he discover a baby in the backseat. After some thinking, Totsi decides to keep the baby and look after it as if it was his. From that point on, slowly yet surely, Totsi begins to change for the better. He becomes less involved in his everyday life of crime, grows to be more responsible and caring for something, or rather someone else besides himself, and finds a bit of decency. In the end, he chooses to do the right thing and returns the baby to his parents, which is right before he is arrested.

One reocurring theme in the movie is about decency. One of the members of Totsi's crew, Boston (who was also referred to as Teacher Boy), brought up the topic of decency a couple times throughout the movie. The first time he mentioned this specific word was towards the beginning, after the gang had just killed an innocent man on a subway for his money. Boston was drunk and sick with shame from what they had just done and questioned if Totsi had any decency. At this point in the movie, there was not much decency apparent in any of the characters, but this changes, especially for Totsi, as the movie progresses.

There was also a subtle theme of cripples throughout the movie. In one scene, Totsi stalks and harasses a crippled bum. Totsi asks him how he got that way, then tells a story about how he witnessed someone cripple a dog in two kicks when he was younger. The bum asks who would do such a thing, and at first, I assumed that it was Totsi himself, but it is later revealed that it was actually his father, and that this was actually part of a tragic and traumatizing night for the young thug. Another crippled person that comes into play is the mother of the baby Totsi takes. While stealing her car along with her baby, Totsi shoots her with his gun. The bullet paralyzes the woman from the waist down, thus crippling her.

I enjoyed the movie Totsi very much. I found the character development in this story to be phenomenal. It was a very gradual and apparent change in the main character, and you could sense the feel of the movie shifted from cold to warm. This was obvious in so many aspects of the movie. First, with sound. The music in the opening scene was hard and strong, as Totsi and his gang walked through the shacks of the slum. Towards the end, however, the use of softer, more gentle and soothing music was heard more often, starting when Totsi first decides to return the baby, then when he actually ventures to do so, and finally, in the very end, he makes the delivery complete.

The character development and change in the feel of the movie was also apparent in Totsi's actions. In the beginning, out of anger, Totsi beats up one of his fellow gangmembers - Boston. He does so without hesitation or remorse. Much later on in the movie, however, Totsi actually apologizes to him, takes him into his own home, and takes care of him. Totsi's treatment of the crippled man is also proof of his change in character. In the beginning, Totsi stalks and harasses the old man, knocking all his change to the ground, and scaring him half to death, thinking he was going to kill him. Towards the end, though, Totsi greets him kindly and gives him money.

The last form of evidence in the change in Totsi's character is his appearance. Throughout the movie, Totsi is dressed in dark, baggy clothes and just looks mean and menacing. In the very last scene, though, when he returns the baby, he is dressed up well in a button up shirt. He looks very proper and neat.

All in all, I found Totsi to be very well done. I enjoyed pretty much every aspect of it. I enjoyed the music, the lighting, the story, the acting, and the cinematography. I am definitely looking forward to seeing this movie again in the future, and even passing it on and showing it to other people.