Tsotsi Miriam

TSOTSI- (HOOD) 2005 (SOUTH AFRICA)

PLOT: In the slums of Soweto, Tsotsi (PRESLEY CHWENEYAGAE) and his gang - volatile enforcer Butcher (ZENZO NGQOBE), follower Aap (KENNETH NKOSI) and intellectual Boston (MOTHUSI MAGANO) - are petty thieves and drug dealers who scrounge to get by, but don't seem to have many cares in the world. On the edges of Johannesburg, Tsotsi's life has no meaning beyond survival. One night in desperation, Tsotsi steals a woman's car, only to discover a crying infant in the backseat. In a moment, his life takes a sharp turn and leads him down an unexpected path to redemption, giving him hope for a future he never could have imagined.

Directed by Gavin Hood, Tsotsi is set in the midst of the South African slums. The word Tsotsi meaning thug refers to the protagonist himself who is a small time but dominant gangster. This film of the gangster genre follows the themes of crime and deviance and also portrays the redemption of David, Tsotsi’s true name. This is achieved through a non linear narrative style of his life and his daily struggles for survival in the harsh world of poverty. Shooting a woman to steal her car for money, he soon realises he accidentally steals her baby which is still in the car. Tsotsi’s morals kick in and he is forced to look after it. The baby acting as a ray of hope brings out his true nature revealing his past through flashback sequences giving the audience a back story about how he became a Tsotsi.

Since Miriam also happens to be a widow, she has enough room in her heart to play the role of mother to both the baby and Tsotsi (minus the breast-feeding). As his tentative relationship with Miriam and the baby grows deeper, Tsotsi gradually rediscovers that there is more to life than robbing, murdering, and beating up other people. Summary: Tsotsi, a gang member living in a township, makes a living mugging and carjacking more affluent people. One day, while hijacking a car, he finds a baby on the back seat and takes him home. Identifying with the baby, he forces a young mother in the township to take care of him.

Themes

·Redemption

Miriam's decency and gentleness spark memories in Tsotsi of his own mother who died of AIDs and her positive life style makes him realise that there is more to life than crime and violence.

·Crime and Deviance

Power

·Tsotsi- Has hegemonic power over his small crew. He is the dominant male in terms of leadership and Boston, Butcher and Aap act as his followers. (Last to be introduced in opening sequence. Also centrally framed as they enter the slum streets, dust blocking off other characters portray his prime importance in the pack.)

·Fella- Seems to be a more affluent and big time gangster in the slums. Wears more expensive clothing and jewellery. (He has ladies massaging him when they play dice.)

·Boston- Has the power of knowledge and education compared to everyone else in Tsotsi’s gang. Only character to have a sense of decency at start of film before Tsotsi’s redemption.

·Police Force- Although mainstream society visualizes them as the dominant ideology of control in society, they have no control in the slums.

·Pumla- A true example of a strong woman. Not only intellectually but physically even after taking a gunshot from Tsotsi’s pistol rendering her disabled she still manages to use body language to belittle those who don’t treat her without the respect she deserves. (At ending sequences.)

·Males are promoted as the ones in power in the film. There are more males filmed on set than females giving the audience the idea that in the world of poverty, it is the males who react in a more primitive state of mind for power and survival. (However, the few characters that were females played strong decisive roles.) (Women, by Fella’s grasp massaging him.)

·The Pistol, A key prop that is used in the film to reinforce power to the user. It helps the criminals feel in control of the dangerous situations they engage, used as threats and for protection.

Poverty

·Over 500000 rapes per year. Most apparently go unreported. More likely to be raped than to finish high school. Evidence of corrupt state.

·Around 18% living with HIV. (5.6 million people)

Conflict

Binary Oppositions

·The distinguishing of the terrain of those in poverty and those of affluence. (Barriers)

·The Police Force and the criminals.

·Decency and Immorality. (Tsotsi’s suppressed emotions and state of mind.)

·Boston and Butcher. (Brains and brawn) (Could be a conflict of which type of hegemonic masculinity is more important in the diegesis.)

Characters

Tsotsi- He is the main protagonist of this psychological thriller. 19 year old and curious Tsotsi is a dominant but small time gang leader with a suppressed past. Tsotsi literally means thug or gangster in South Africa. His real name is David and he acts only on instincts for survival in the deprived shanty town he lives in. He seems to be smarter than the rest of his group and plans their money making schemes. Upon stealing a car, he shoots a woman and accidentally takes her baby in the car. Tsotsi starts to look after the baby where a new side of him is displayed as his nurturing instincts kick in. He begins to understand decency and gains some morals. He unlocks his true self disregarding that of a Tsotsi. Although he redeems himself to the audience, in time he faces the consequences to his actions as “crime doesn’t pay” so he is arrested at the films resolution.

Baby- The baby was found by Tsotsi accidentally in Pumla’s car. It acts as the centre of hope for Tsotsi so he can triumph in the struggle and conflict with his emotions between his morality against his hatred. (Binary Oppositions)

Tsotsi Miriam Quotes

Aap- This is Tsotsi’s longest friend. It seems that he used to live in the barrels with Tsotsi from childhood and has grown to be his follower. Aap is clueless about the criminal world he lives in and how to make his own decisions. At one scene, Tsotsi through mocking body language numerously pokes him in the head telling him to think and make his own decisions. He eventually does when Tsotsi kills Butcher, a fellow gang member as he fears his friend has lost it.

Boston- He is the newest recruit to Tsotsi’s small gang. Boston, a social realist is educated and understands the key value in this film of decency. He tries to make Tsotsi understand decency but is severely punished in a violent attack due to suppressed memories being recovered. Boston calls Tsotsi a dog which he remembers from childhood as his father breaks his dogs back. Later, as Tsotsi begins to recover his morality due to the baby’s influence of his nurturing instincts, he helps Boston and apologises to him about the previous incident beforehand. Educated and understanding moral values, Boston forgives him. “Tsotsi, Thug that’s not a real name.”

Butcher- He is a cold blooded killer/assassin. Another social realist, Butcher kills because to him it’s the only way of survival and keeping his identity hidden. He’s uneducated so he understands nothing else but survival deciding to walk the dark path in life beyond redemption. “Quick and Silent, Old Style”, he says to Fella the local big time gangster in terms of wealth.

Fella- He is the local big time gangster in terms of wealth. His costume and expensive props such as his jewellery clearly show this as well as the fact he has women who are at his feet. He is also a car theft dealer requiring drivers to steal them for his gain. Fella try’s to persuade Butcher and Aap to join his gang instead labelling Tsotsi as incapable of having the ability to be a leader.

Miriam- As a character, she is the binary opposition of Tsotsi acting as a catalyst. She’s pure hearted and at first she is portrayed with no authority but as Tsotsi begins to unlock his true nature, there is a shift in power. He begins to ask her for help rather than demand it through the key prop in the narrative signifying death, the gun. Quote, “If you tell anyone about this I’ll kill you”. Through flashbacks, Miriam reminds Tsotsi about his mother who had HIV. She is the trigger that allows Tsotsi to face his dark side and convinces Tsotsi to return the baby. When Tsosti decides to do so, he asks whether he can come back and see her in which she accepts.

John- The father of the baby Tsotsi accidentally steals and the wife of Pumla. He is robbed by Tsotsi’s gang the second encounter. Even in his position at this point of the film he is still portrayed with authority over Aap who is like a child asking to get food from his fridge because of John’s dominant role of expected respect through affluence and education.

Pumla- The mother of the baby Tsotsi accidentally steals. Pumla is the strong woman of the narrative. Through her fierce body language even though she is now disabled she still has supreme power and authority over others. This could be because of class division and the fact that she is wealthy. Pumla tells of her guard in a strict manner and during dialogue refers to Tsotsi merely as a “boy” showing how lower he is to her.

Morris- He is the old disabled beggar that used to work in the mines before he lost his legs. He is mocked by Tsotsi at earlier parts in the narrative but rewarded at the end, could this be Karma taking place in the diegesis.

Zuma- He is the black and ruthless police officer. He has the ability to communicate with those in the shanty towns because he understands the language unlike his partner Smit.

Captain Smit- He’s a white police officer and one of the only few white people in the film. Could this still be evidence of segregation in the country even after apartheid?

Messages and Values

Key Messages, “Crime doesn’t pay,” “Consequences to your actions,” “You can change yourself before it’s too late.”

Key Values

·Family

·Respect

·Decency

·Wealthy

·Loyalty/Companionship

Cinematography/Visuals

·Low Key Lighting largely emphasizes most of crime being depicted at night.

·Central Framing of Powerful Characters. (Clothes, Jewellery,)

Tsotsi Miriam Smith

·Tsotsi Centrally framed as gang walk through the slum streets. The midst slightly blocks the other characters representing his importance and control.

·Eye-line matches, panning shots and jump cuts when Tsotsi scan’s territory for a criminal opportunity at the tube station.

·Resolution- Tsotsi wears a white T-shirt signifying purity. Shows he has returned back to David, his good side.

·Close Up to Tsotsi’s face when watching Miriam as he has flashback images of his own mother.

·Close up of Dices at establishing shot signify chances.

·Use of Pathetic Fallacy emphasizes the emotions felt as Tsotsi runs through the fields after beating up Boston plagued by horrific flashback memories of his past.

·Gates at John and Pumla’s household act as physical and mental barriers to keep crime away from their home.

·L/A and H/A when man in train is murdered. Filmed in a way L/A representing “under-dogs” in society killing a “top-dog.” Business man still portrayed in a way that he is looking down at his murderers.

·The film is subbed because the characters speak in a different dialect than people in British society so we can understand them much easier.

·Visual signifiers, blood connote death/danger. (Guns)

Macro Elements

·Non linear structure, past sequences explained through flashback sequences. Helps audience to develop a sense of empathically understanding of the characters life experiences.

·Breaks Todorov’s rules of calm, disruption and equilibrium. The film opens up and almost instantly proceeds with acts of disruption.

·Narrative Structure is focused on theme of redemption and unravelling the back-story of Tsotsi used to understand how he became that of a Tsotsi.

·We almost view the plot directly from Tsotsi’s POV. He is centrally focused almost all throughout. And in the scenes he isn’t shown there are discussions about him. (Case of Aap and Butcher discussing about Tsotsi’s driving to Fella.)

·Tsotsi ironically refers to the title of the film itself.

·Resolution Sequences ends all ties. You pretty much know what will happen next and the factors that lead to the situation in hand.

Sound

·Dialogue is short and simple quickly getting to the point. The protagonist seems to be a man of little words too.

·South African’s seem to express themselves largely by their body language instead of using words. (Pumla’s belittling of police officer.) (Attitude is added to the sound of voices)

·Kwaito Soundtrack- Reflects the lifestyle of those who dwell in the slums and are in poverty. An example of South Africa’s answer to American Hip-hop.

·Uses a musical score to set the tone of the film.

Spectator/Audience Theories

Two Step Flow Theory- The director is the expert who is able to set the mood and tone of the film. Using a non diegetic musical score sets the audiences mood putting them in a trance like state where the film is constantly making them think in relation to their emotions. This puts the audience into a state of accepting the theme of redemption rather than being able to thing for themselves.

Uses and Gratifications- Part of the uses and gratifications in the film regards Tsotsi as constantly remaining in a state of escapism. Why? This is because of his distraught past. Tsotsi however reforms and faces the consequences to his actions.

The Male Gaze- Through the protagonist’s mind we embark on a journey where he has to perform what is regarded as masculine acts in a more primitive lifestyle in order to survive the harsh world he inhabits. We as spectators view the plot from his point of view and not only sympathize with his actions but learn there is a clear reason behind them.

Context and Intertextuality

·Over 90000 Car Thefts per year.

·Over 500000 rapes per year. Most apparently go unreported. More likely to be raped than to finish high school.

·More than a fifth 21% living with Aids/HIV. (Case of Tsotsi’s Mother)

Tsotsi Miriam Palmer

·Around 20000 deaths a year from violent crime.

·There is an estimate of around 50 murders a day.

Tsotsi Miriam In The Bible

·Country is wealthy in resources but corrupt government. (Evidence of Mining)

Tsotsi Miriam Lee

·Apartheid finished in 1990, so no longer segregation of colour but it is now segregation of class. The upper class live in the luxury of the city, lower class live in shanty towns.

Tsotsi Miriam's Shack

·Still evidence of segregation, Tsotsi’s lack of contact with white people in during the film.