Mike Brown

4/10/17

International Film

Tsotsi

1. Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

Tsotsi is an academy award winning film and one of the most notable films to come out

of South Africa, next to 2009s smash hit, District 9. The film takes place in a South

African slum, where our main character, Tsotsi, is forced to face the consequences of the

rash choices that he made for himself.

2. Find a related article and summarize the content.

Dargis, Manohla. "From South Africa, a Tough Thug Shows His Big Heart." The

New York Times. The New York Times, 24 Feb. 2006. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.

Manohla Dargis describes the film as a play on a typical gangster film, and compares

Tsotsis character to Tony Montana from Scarface. Tsotsis actions lead him down a

horrible path, and give him a chance for redemption and resolution at the end of the film.
The film showcases a huge gap between the higher power and the beaten down, and how

characters actions can haunt them on their journey to another place.

3. Apply the article to the film screened in class.

Throughout the film, it is easy to realize that Tsotsi is haunted by his past. Certain life

events have taken his life into the worst possible direction, making him become a deadly

force among his crew. Through the film and through his actions, Tsotsi realizes the way

things must go and he comes to the correct conclusions, even if they wont completely fix

the things he has done.

4. Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a

result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.

Out of all the films that have been new to me in this class, Tsotsi was among the best. The

film created characters that had depth to them, and created a devilish tension in the
situations we were seeing. The film tackles a lot of tough issues; crime, poverty, revenge,

forgiveness, and self-awareness. Tsotsi creates a world of hell around himself, but as the

film goes on, he realizes all of the things that have led to the place he ends up in, and

does his best to correct those issues. He apologizes to his friend that he mercilessly beat,

makes peace with a homeless man whom he harassed, and returns the stolen child to the

worried parents. He faces his punishment at the end of the film, but he is left

understanding the pain he has caused. Tsotsi was a fantastic movie, keeping the viewer

interested from start to finish.

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (x) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) (x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I
clearly explain that in the paper.

3) (x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used
indentation and citation within the text.

4) (x) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the
bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) (x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) (x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another
way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) (x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or
originality.

8) (x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the
research and ideas used in my paper.

Name: Mike Brown Date: 4/10/17