Tsotsi - South Africa (2005)

This film depicts a modern day South Africa in the city of Johannesburg. Tsotsi, which means thug in South African language, is an urban gang leader must fight for his survival in the tough city. The contrast between urban and rural landscapes is very dramatic. In the city we see large subways packed with workers traveling through the crowded streets. The city is full of life and business, but also those who like to pray on the week, like Tsotsi. The out skirts of the city become dirty and vagrant, as we see in the part with the man in the wheel chair. This is a buffer zone between the city and the rural outskirts. You can tell that this area becomes scarier and is almost a sign for those not to venture any further into the unregulated areas. The rural landscape is full of small shakes that look home made with what ever type of building materials they could find. There is no running water going to the homes, and Tsotsi has to lock his own door with a chain and pad lock. You can tell this is where the poor and unwanted members of society go to live, as there is little or no police in the area.

Black people in the movie are shown in a few different ways. We see them as gang members, police, and suburban families. There are not many white people in the movie, but those that are seem to play authoritative roles. The white police man seems to tell the black policeman to refrain himself from being uncivil in his police duties. This shows that whites are still controlling figures in South Africa.

Apartheid is not that prevalent in the movie. This type of segregation was abolished in 1994. You do see the blacks all living together in the same areas, but you do not see the white areas of South Africa in this movie at all. That is why it is hard to tell what left over issues from segregation still remaining. The only thing that is certain is that South Africa has failed to offer civil living conditions for its poor majority in this post-apartheid city. You can easily see the expanse of the township that Tsotsi lives, when the police find the stolen vehicle over looking the shantytown in the background and wonder how they might ever capture the thief in a place like this.

The baby may symbolize the youth of Africa and its innocent poor. A baby in its simplest form must get food, shelter, and be cleaned. This is much like the poor outcasts of South African society that just want the simplest things in life to survive. Tsotsi becomes obsessed with caring for the baby, and even the single mother who is forced to feed it shows affection towards the helpless baby. The country may be affectionate to those without help.

The future of South Africa may change for the better. This movie is not a gangster tale, or a tragic tale of the loss of a baby. Instead it is a realization or awakening of Tsotsi when he sees the baby. He changes his outlook on life and begins to do the right thing, by caring for his beaten friend and stopping his other murderous friend. In the end he gives himself up for the sake of the baby. This shows that South Africa may find a way to act more caringly for their fellow country men and take pride in the fact that their people are safe.