Tsotsi Essay 

For this essay, I will be discuss the representations of poverty and conflict in the film Tsotsi.  Tsotsi (2005) directed by Gavin Hood and starring Presley Chweneyagae as the protagonist talks about the desperate situation in contompary post apartheid Johaannesburg, South Africa. We follow the  life of Tsotsi, a small time hoodlum fighting to survive but as he finds himself responsible for a baby he 'stole', he tries to change his ways and leads a road to redemption. As the film is seen as a 'rites of passage' type of film, a lot of themes and motifs are seen that link in with both poverty and conflict.

Straightaway, the theme of chance and fate is seen as we get close ups of the boys shaking their fists and throwing the dices. The dices symbolise chance and fate as you never know what they're going to land on, the element of 50/50 on landing on something  high or low connotes the risks the boys are taking as they've reached the point in their lives that if you don't risk, you can't win or survive. Having this scene at the start straightaway throws us in the situation that the boys and everyone else in the location is living. Chance and fate links with conflict as there is that fight of needing to survive and doing and pursuing things you don't want to, or don't want to risk as the possibilities aren't exactly the best but have to because of the economical situation which links with poverty. We then understand that the conflict comes from the poverty that surrounds Johaannesberg as it makes the people and the environment's atmosphere feel very hot and tense to us, the western audience.

Twice in the film, when the characters go throughout the train station we get a high wide shot of the interior of the station and there is an un missable billboard of an advert raising awareness of HIV & AIDS. This reminds us the western audience about the diseases and conflict Africa has towards these sort of illnesses and diseases. It helps us understand the sanitary situation which has been evolved because of the poverty South Africa is in, and also links in with conflict as the characters have to also fight to survive from these horrible and deadly diseases.
Already 3 mins in the film, we see the first murder assisted by Tsotsi and his gang. The victim is a middle aged man obviously much more wealthy and in a more stable economical situation that Tsotsi and his friends as his apreance containg a suit and top hat shows us doesn't need to 'survive'. This obviously reinforces the theme of conflict as Tsotsi and his gang pursue a close, tense murder just for an envelope of money. This again dramatises the situation the charters are in as killling another human is everyday life for surviving and for personal gain. The way close ups, and mid close ups are used during the stabbing scene gives us an example and understanding of how violent, hot, and nauseating the streets of Johaannesberg really are as we are almost disgusted but understand the situation of 'take or get taken' that the boys are living in. Also having the murder scene in a train makes the audience understand that conflict is everywhere and the fact that there isn't any social security or anything as such, murders, robberies and other crimes can be out in the open and in public places as if it isn't anything, this scares the western audience about the possibilities and could maybe foreshadow the rest of the film.

The motif of dogs is very significant in the film as it is mentioned throughout and mostly in key important scenes. The interrogation scene where Boston confronts Tsotsi about the murder in the beginning of the film is key as Tsotsi completely beats Boston as soon as he says the word dog. This shows us that Tsotsi has a troubled past when it comes to dogs or a special dog as it seems as he takes it personally. His actions also show us that he is self conflicted about his past and has still not overcome it. Another scene surround the symbolisism of dogs is Tsotsi talks to Morris the homeless cripple in a vacant location. Which again reminds us of the economical situation as Morris explains us he broke his back at a mining accident whilst working and has now become homeless, reinforcing the fact that there is no social security. Tsotsi refers Morris to a dog as his back is broken and has to move around in a wheelchair. The reason Tsotsi refers to Morris as a dog is because Morris' actions come across as hopeless such as a dog who crawls on the floor. But as soon as Morris asks Tsotsi what kind of man kills a dog? Tsotsi kicks his box of loose change and exits. This shows us he is defeinatly angry as whenever someone has confronted or questioned him about a/his dog, he switches and tries to end the conversation by some sort of violent action which shows us he is conflicted. Finally in a significant flashback scene we see Tstoti's father having an argument with his Tsotsi's mother and kicks his dog causing him to break his back. We see a young Tsotsi's facial expressions break as the noises of the dog crying haunt him. We finally understand the meaning behind his delicate and fragile secrecy about his dog and feel somewhat sympathetic towards him as maybe he has turnt out how he is because of his edgy past involving his father. Also that scene is key as the young Tsotsi runs away, his father calls him by his real name, David. This is significant as we have also known him just as Tsotsi and has never explained his name. This shows us how personal and important the flashback scene is in the development of the character and from that point on, he was no longer David but became Tsotsi.

Decency is also another important theme as it is a word introduced by Boston were he calls it something derived from education. After the murder in the train station, Boston feels sick and later on describes his accident the remaining bit of decency left in him. What Boston means by this is that the killing of the man made him feel sick as he knew it was wrong and that maybe him and Tsotsi and the others had gone too far, and that being sick is him being decent as he understands it wrong. He then confront Tsotsi asking him if he knows what decency is, this shows us that there is conflict within the gang swell on surrounding what is right and wrong and when is enough going to be enough. "Fuck decency" is a quote from another small time hoodlum as he is surrounded by the boys. When Boston has the same conversation with him, the man replays to him that quote. This shows us that the people from that environment and the situation of poverty has reached a negative mentality of there isn't a point or meaning in life, and decency in yourself if you can't do or get what you need or desire, so conflict seems like the easiest and only way really to do anything. It shows us that if you are always fed from the same crap spoon your whole life, you can't get anything better unless you fight for it.