Tsotsi

If you crossed Three Men And A Baby with City Of God the result would be something like Tsotsi (an old Afrikaans word for Chav). Yeah, it's a weird combination, but the film is so ruthlessly effective that it will surely draw you in, no matter how unlikely the premise may be.

David is a young man living in the dregs of society in a shantytown outside Johannesburg. His life has been tough and his childhood, in which he lost his mother to AIDS and pet dog to an evil dad, has been brutal. Since a young age he's lived in absolute hopelessness, but clawed his way up to a level of independence, thanks to crime.

During a carjacking, he shoots a woman outside her home and flees, only to crash a short while later. The reason? He was distracted by the woman's baby in the back seat. Not having the slightest clue what to do next, he tries to look after the child, only for painful memories of his past to come flooding back. He imposes himself on a reluctant local young mother for help and comes to regret his life of crime. After much inner reflection, he decides to give the child back.

It doesn't sound like much, but there's a lot going unsaid in Tsotsi. You can see it in David's eyes and the atmosphere between certain characters feels tense and genuine, something you don't come across every day in a movie. Plus the musical score is deeply emotional and really does creep up on you. It's been rattling around in my head all day.

The acting by a cast of mostly unknowns is perfect. When you think of all the money spent on hollow "talent" in mainstream movies these days, it makes you sad to think that there are so many terrific actors out there so ignored. But how many overpaid stars get to make movies like this?

The cinematography is pretty damn brilliant, too. It's always something I look out for and too often blandness is what I get. Here colours and shadows are used to bring out a unique looking world of deprivation, tinted with atmosphere.

It's not a pretty story of a wonderful life, but Tsotsi is highly recommended. If you leave unaffected, or not even the slightest bit teary, then you have no heart.