Today I saw Gavin Wood's Tsotsi. And yes, I do know that this is not a Grade 2 Daily News entry.Annnnyyywaay...I saw Tsotsi, rather late, but I've been busy. It was good, very good, deserves every little bit of that Oscar dearest. It was so good that people clapped at the end and that just does NOT happen in South African cinemas.

So that's life here in SA, apparently. Far more South African than Charlize's little Oscar bitty. But the strange thing is that no one was gasping at the violence at times. I'm comparing this now to Munich where people gasped when something horrendous happened. We were all kinda blase about it. It's sad. Perhaps because we know it's our reality, it affects us less, or maybe we're trained not to flinch. We're a hardy and sturdy people us Seffrikins. We shouldn't be underestimated. But Tsotsi is a reflection of a slice of life but we're not a nation of criminals, criminal activity, maybe... but remember it's a story of one Tsotsi. It's not the story of all South Africans. However the story behind the story(the whole family history do-dah) that, my dears, is an integral issue in the lives of many South Africans and it's a very common theme in the literature(well by and large the short stories of the Protest years eg To Kill A Man's Pride).

So there's my little disclaimer in place for the preservation of tourism in and to South Africa. It's a beautiful country, fascinating history, lovely people, amazing weather, breathtaking sunsets and it's cheap (unless you're Zimbabwean, then you might just have a problem...).

I guess that's my treatise on Tsotsi, give it a see, it's well worth it, even and if only for the cinematography. The storyline is basic and simple, the acting is compelling (correct me if I'm wrong, but I think some of the actors are amateurs), the pace is perfect, and it touches a nerve and leaves you with shivers. You come outta there with a sense that there is some humanity left after all in the species YOU call the human race.

I am off course removed from the implications of the above last sentence for I am something between an Elve(the Tolkien variety, not the midgety garden gnome kind) and a Vampire...I suppose a Dhampir, but that's too human and I didn't like the game all that much anyway...

Namarie
rah*