Tsotsi (2005)

I think this is definitely a film that plays around with some interesting ideas. The South African setting is refreshing and the acting is strong. The screenplay is well-written and the characters are convincing. However this film just didn't really strike all that much of a chord with me. The plot concerns the eponymous protagonist, Tsotsi, a street thug who inadvertently kidnaps a baby, the innocence of which helps him come to realize not only the errors of his ways, but the fragility of human life. This is where my major problem with the film is encountered, Tsotsi himself. Presley Chweneyagae played the character very well with strong characterization and a believable emotional arc, I just couldn't bring myself to really like him all that much. I appreciate that the whole point of the film is that he starts off thoroughly unlikable and by the end you warm to him, but I just couldn't do that. It's not exactly something I'm unable to do, heck, I was able to warm to Derek Vineyard in 'American History X', but there was something off about this character's journey that blocked me from liking him. Unfortunately this more or less derailed the whole thing for me, following Tsotsi's journey didn't feel as rewarding as it should have. The merits come from the other elements, it reminded me somewhat of 'City of God', which is one of my favourite films, in its visual aesthetic and urban setting. The story played out well even if it was a little predictable. But I found it impossible to engage with Tsotsi as a character as the crimes we see him commit early on seem to lack motivation and thus make him seem like a sociopath. To harken back to 'American History X', Derek does commit acts of racial violence from the outset, but it's because he's a neo-Nazi, we know his motivation and are instantly intrigued as to why he is so hateful and want to learn more about what led him to join such an extreme movement, creating a compelling plot. In 'Tsotsi', our protagonist is just a thug until, in my mind at least, it was too late to develop the character to be likable. Overall, a pretty good film, hit and miss, I would say. There are better urban stories out there and if you're looking for some really strong world cinema then this probably isn't the first place you should look to. Not a bad film, but it should have been a lot better.