Underplayed Gems

Tsotsi (2005)

Tsotsi poster
Directed by
Gavin Hood
Genre
drama film, crime film
Country
South Africa, United Kingdom
Runtime
1h 34m
Rated
R
Rating
6.9 of 10 from 354 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A young gangster in Johannesburg's Alexandra slum steals a car and finds a baby inside. He must decide what to do with the child as his violent life begins to change.

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What happens

Tsotsi is a 2005 crime drama film written and directed by Gavin Hood and produced by Peter Fudakowski. It is an adaptation of the novel Tsotsi by Athol Fugard, and is a South African/UK co-production. Set in the Alexandra slum in Johannesburg, South Africa, it stars Presley Chweneyagae as David/Tsotsi (meaning "criminal" - see also Tsotsitaal), a young street thug who steals a car only to discover a baby in the back seat. It also features Kenneth Nkosi, Jerry Mofokeng, and Rapulana Seiphemo in supporting roles. The soundtrack features Kwaito music performed by South African artist Zola and Afro-pop group Mafikizolo, as well as a score by Mark Kilian and Paul Hepker with the voice of South African protest singer and poet Vusi Mahlasela. The film was praised, particularly for its writing, direction, and performances, especially Chweneyagae's and Pheto's, cinematography and for emotional weight. It went on to win the 2006 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, becoming the first South African film and first African film not made in French to win the former. In 2009, it was unofficially remade in Tamil as Yogi. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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