Tsotsi

Tsotsi is a crime drama set in a poor township outside Johannesburg. Its central character is a nineteen-year-old gang leader who has cut himself off from his past, to the point of going by a slang word meaning "gangster" rather than his real name. He runs with a small group of young criminals and lives entirely in the present. After a violent car theft, he discovers a baby left on the back seat and, instead of disposing of the problem, takes the infant home and tries to care for it. That decision forces him into a struggle between the life he has built and a sense of responsibility he had suppressed.

The film was directed by Gavin Hood, who also wrote the screenplay, and was produced by Peter Fudakowski. Presley Chweneyagae plays Tsotsi, with Jerry Mofokeng, Terry Pheto, Zenzo Ngqobe, Zola and Rapulana Seiphemo among the credited cast of twenty-five. Made on a budget of about 3 million dollars, it returned roughly 10 million dollars worldwide, a strong result for a production of its scale. This was Hood's first listed feature as director; he went on to make Rendition, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ender's Game, Eye in the Sky and Official Secrets.

Audience scores are moderate, with an IMDb rating of 7.2 from around 32,000 votes and a TMDB rating of 6.9 from 364 votes. A critics' rating of 7.6 from 130 reviews places critical approval somewhat above the audience response.