TSOTSI

RYAN: “Tsotsi” disgusting. “Tsotsi” incredible. “Tsotsi” disturbing. “Tsotsi” amazing.

CAROLINE: This is the movie that won Best Foreign Film at the Oscars this year.

RYAN: Indeed.

CAROLINE: And we felt we should see it.

RYAN: It was our cinematic duty.

CAROLINE: That’s right. Now. I’m not gonna lie to you. I had a few “bored” moments tonight.

RYAN: I can’t say that I was ever bored; but, there were moments that were so heinous and so disturbing that I actually, at one point, had to hold myself back from turning to you and saying, “Let’s leave.”

CAROLINE: The ants?

RYAN: No. The cruelty to animals.

CAROLINE: Well, I assume it was faked.

RYAN: But still… it was so upsetting, in a riveting, terrible way… I wanted to leave.

CAROLINE: There were a couple of slow moments, but the good moments were gooood.

RYAN: Really good.

CAROLINE: Don’t even get me started about the ending. That was phenomenal.

RYAN: I love a good Hollywood ending.

CAROLINE: Ha! The guy who plays Tsotsi is amazing.

RYAN: Mmm hmm.

CAROLINE: This certainly is not for everyone. It’s subtitled. It’s South African.

RYAN: I love South Africa.

CAROLINE: It’s good.

RYAN: Now, Carole Ann, I think we need to go to a place we rarely go. Let’s give a little plot here.

CAROLINE: Ok. Sure.

RYAN: It takes place in South Africa. “Tsotsi” means thug. It’s about guys who commit crimes.

CAROLINE: They’re gangsters, basically. And one of them carjacks a woman; shoots her… and then find there was an infant in the backseat.

RYAN: A baby.

CAROLINE: That’s what infant means.

RYAN: Oh.

CAROLINE: (chuckles) And the rest of the movie is about his…

RYAN: His redemption.

CAROLINE: I hesitated to use that word. It’s a cheesy word.

RYAN: His “Road to Perdition.”

CAROLINE: We see how having something to take care of not only reminds him of his own youth… but affects his current situation. And it’s heavy.

RYAN: So heavy.

CAROLINE: It is hea-vy du-ty.

RYAN: We didn’t learn any lessons in this movie…

CAROLINE: Well we’re not South African gangsters, now, are we?

RYAN: But it’s heavy in a way that I almost didn’t even need to experience. I wasn’t even entertained… I don’t mean to imply it wasn’t good or that it didn’t deserve the Oscar. But, the disturbing parts were so thick that I could have lived life without ever having seen them. Who needs the nightmare material?

CAROLINE: Right. It wasn’t an uplifting film or a film you must see; however, if you’re like us and you’ve seen everything else, when it’s between this and, you know, “Eight Below” – you’re gonna choose “Tsotsi.”

RYAN: (snickers) Exactly. And we both enjoy a foreign film de temps en temps.

CAROLINE: We do. And although I do not know a word of whatever language this movie was in…

RYAN: Every fifth word was English.

CAROLINE: Yeah, it was bizarre… some kind of blend of English and Afrikaans.

RYAN: And some sparse, full sentences, which were in complete English, were subtitled too. That was weird. Gritty, edgy, freaky, final thought? I can sum up in one word: “Tsotsi.”

CAROLINE: Me too! I’m not going to say you need to see this film as a recommendation. It’s hard to watch at times.

RYAN: The same way “Munich” was hard to watch at times.

CAROLINE: But it is well done. The beginning had some fight scenes where the punching noises were out of sync. And I was, like, “Oh. There’s a foreign film for ya.”

RYAN: Seriously.

CAROLINE: But great performances and whoa! Disturbing!

RYAN: Thanks Lovers!

CAROLINE: Until next time…