Tsotsi (2006)

It's often said that people aren't capable of change until they genuinely want to better themselves; and while it's fairly easy to convey personal transformation in a simple screenplay, to make that reformation truly convincing over the course of 94 minutes is a somewhat more daunting prospect. When we first meet the South African teen known as Tsotsi (not an actual name but a generalizing slang term meaning "thug" or "gangster"), he is about to make the leap from simple hooligan to something far more sinister; yet as the story unfolds, the viewer gradually discovers that his tale is a bit more complicated than it first appears. With Tsotsi, writer/director Gavin Hood has achieved the rare feat of presenting a character whose quick temper and cold exterior make him easy to fear in the opening scenes, and gradually providing the audience with the backstory needed to understand that those components of his personality are but a small part of a much larger picture painted by the tragedy and sadness of his harsh childhood. We are all a product of our youth, and Tsotsi's youth was one of death, poverty, and abuse. While most films concentrate on the manner in which the world tends to harden people with age, Hood's film sets out to show that it can also have the opposite effect under the right circumstances. Though the story is at times predictable and occasionally crosses the line into sappy sentimentality, effective performances and believable motivations allow the viewer to become involved in the proceedings in a manner that lends the film a convincing element of believability. On the visual front, cinematographer Lance Gewer's crisp cinematography serves well to highlight the stark contrast between the decayed shantytown in which Tsotsi survives and the modern comforts of the nearby city where there still remains a glimmer of hope. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide