Tsotsi (2005)
The basic premise of this International Oscar Winner sounds somewhat contrived and Oscar-baity, and in some ways it is, but I think it actually manages to pull it off. A young man living in the slums of Johannesburg aimlessly gets by using threats and violence. One day he steals a car, shoots the driver and runs off. In the backseat he finds a baby, which he confusingly takes home. Over a couple of days, by being forced to take care of this baby, he manages to critical self-reflect on his violent lifestyle and learn about empathy. It sounds incredibly eyerolling when spelled out, and I did have that feeling parts of the way watching it. What I think makes it work is how it has the same authenticity as City of God, just with more compassion and that it doesn’t fall into sentimentality trappings. One way to view it is to not see it as merely a story about a gangster learning about love he never himself got to experience, but it is really more of an honest portrayal about extreme poverty and what it does to peoples morality. Told without judgement or villainizing.
Oscar Best International Winners Ranked
Rating: 4