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Tsosti Film Analysis

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South Africa’s past represented in 1980 and 2005.
Gavin Hood and Athol Fugard try in each of their versions of Tsosti to explain and understand South Africa during different times. Fugard writes his novel during Apartheid and so the novel tries to grabble with Apartheid and its effect on black people during those times. However Hood focuses his film adaption on the after effects of Apartheid like the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Both the novel and the film express representations of violence and in this essay it will be discussed the differences in which they portray these violence’s.
Athol Fugard, a prominent play writer, actor and novelist writes a novel called Tsotsi (1980, AD Donker) during a time when South Africa was lead under a destructive …show more content…

The film opens with the gang going out and finding a target for the night, they kill a man on the train which leads Boston and Tsosti to get into a fight, Tsosti running away and hijacking the car with the baby. Hood chooses not to focus the film on the Apartheid government like the novel but chooses to focus on other issues that South Africa were facing in 2005. The HIV/AIDS epidemic during time was a massive influence on the film and throughout the movie there are signs reminding the viewer of HIV/AIDS and its violent outbreak. By the end of the film Tsosti killed Butcher, a fellow thug, in order to protect the baby’s father. Through his act of violence Tsosti shows a kind of mercy towards the victim but not his friend who he shoots in the head. Miriam tells Tsosti that she knows that he is not the father of the baby and that he should return the child. Tsosti takes the baby home and when he arrives he leaves the baby outside in the bag but the baby begins to cry and he picks it up. The police then arrive at the house and Tsosti fearful of the police runs with the child but they circle him. The mother of the baby, Phumla, comes outside in her wheelchair and Tsosti is faced with the memory of his violent act when he shot her while trying to hijack her car. The police have their guns out and pointed at Tsosti and shout at him to put the baby down, this display …show more content…

Available: https://bookloverssanctuary.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/tsotsi-athol-fugard-analysis/ [26 April 2017].
Athol Fugard. 1980. Tsosti Johannesburg: A.D DONKER (PTY) LTD.
Dovey, L. 2009. African film and literature. New York: Columbia University Press. Available: .
Hood Gavin. 2005. Tsosti

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