by Rhian Hibner
Daily Lobo
Every once in a while the Academy gets it right.
Earlier this month, South African Moviworld Productions' film "Tsotsi" won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. If this film had been made by an American company it would have been in the running for Best Picture.
The film tells the story of Tsotsi - played by Presley Chweneyagae - a young criminal living in the slums of Johannesburg, South Africa. His identity is tied up with his name, as "Tsotsi" is simply a slang term meaning "thug." He spends his days hanging out with his crew at his shack. He spends his nights stealing in order to make enough money to scrape by.
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Over the course of the film, Tsotsi's crimes become increasingly violent. Perversely, he becomes more aware of the moral implications of his daily acts of violence when he shoots a woman and steals her car. As he makes off with the car, he discovers an infant in the backseat. The events that follow eventually lead to Tsotsi's redemption.
It can be hard to gauge how convincing an actor really is when the film is done in a language that is not one's own - the film is in Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and Tsotsi-Taal, a pidgin dialect of Afrikaans. In this case, it was not difficult at all. All of the actors in this film perform brilliantly.
Twenty two-year-old Presley Chweneyagae gives a brilliant showing even though "Tsotsi" is the only feature film he has ever been in. Terry Pheto, another newcomer, is perfect as Chweneyagae's love interest and surrogate conscience. Likewise, the other actors and actresses in this film are mostly newcomers with little acting experience. All of them perform with the kind of poise and grace that usually only comes with years of experience.
In a similar manner, the directing and cinematography are nearly perfect. Every shot feels like it was virtually sculpted out of celluloid. This is not an amateur film. Although director Gavin Hood only has three films in his backlog, he has managed to craft a masterpiece of cinema that shows talent far beyond what his filmography would imply.
The story of redemption that this film tells is enough to make even the most bitter and cynical person rethink his or her position on humanity. The title character begins the film with no moral compunctions. The real genius of the film is the way in which the viewer is pulled along the same path. The moviegoer who leaves this film with dry eyes is quite rare indeed.
