Response to the film Tsotsi

According to the Tsotsi film website the music that is used in the film is called Kwaito and it is “the modern music of South African townships” and it is used in the film“to add the authentic feel of ghetto street life.”  Further look in to what the word Kwaito, the South African Concise Oxford Dictionary says that the word comes from the name “Amakwaito” which was a group of 1950’s gangsters in a Johannesburg township. Who took their name from the Afrikaans word “kwaai” which means “angry” or “vicious.” The style of Kwaito is home-grown dance music that is like spoken word set to an instrumental background. This genre of music started to appear in South Africa in the 1990’s. Kwaito is a mixture of many different sounds, namely marabi sounds of the 1920’s, kwela of the 1950’s, mbaqanga/maskhandi of the hostel dwellers, pop music of the 1980’s, and African praise poetry (Imibongo).

            That being said what Tsotsi does very well is setup and maintain the mood of the film with the music. The first song we hear is “Mdlwembe” this song has the feeling of western rap song. “Mdlwembe” plus the sequence of Tsotsi walking down the flight of stairs while getting yelled at. Really sets up the character of Tsotsi as someone who is a strong force in this particular township. As Tsotsi changes as a character so does the music, the more he has to care for that child the more he goes through a transformation. He grows attached to the baby because this he has been deprived of affection all his life so he feels the need to be a father to this child even though it isn’t healthy or reasonable. The moment when Tsotsi experiences a dramatic change is when he awakes the next day and is faced with taking care of the child’s needs. “Mnt’ Omnyama” is far more upbeat then any of the previous songs and is almost out of place during this scene. The way he was trying to take care of the child even though he wasn’t well equipped was startling and to have an upbeat song in the background made the scene even more unsettling.

            The final few songs featured in the film are somber and sad but more importantly it reinforces the fact that he no longer is the violent man he was before. These songs show the audience that he has shifted his focus beyond criminal activity and beyond the care of the child.  The final song, “E Sale Noka” is a warm and light and fits the theory of Tsotsi finally feeling redeemed at the end of the film. 

            An interesting side note most of the music is performed by Zola who played Fela (The head of the rival gang) in the film. His real name is Bonginkosi Dlamini he grew up in Soweto in the township called Zola which is where he took his name. Zola is an actor, poet, and musician and has arisen as a big name of Kwaito.

 More information on the film Tsotsi http://www.tsotsi.com/english/index.php (my source)

Interesting special effects from Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

The whole movie is filled with beautiful eye catching special effects that really make this movie unique. 

My response to the movie The Whale Rider

In The Whale Rider, we experience a changing community that no longer follows the traditions of their culture at the same rate they once practiced. We see a generation disinterested in taking on the responsibilities of adulthood. Furthermore, we see parents abandoning their duties to go off and to satisfy their own needs.  We see kids rebelling in many different ways and especially with Paikea when she goes against her grandfather’s wishes when she teaches herself how to be a leader.

Paikea rebels in the first place because Koro her grandfather who was always focused on the traditions and the “chosen” first born son.  When finds out that his grandson died during child birth he becomes upset because there isn’t a first born son to take over he even resents Paikea for living in away.  He blames her for the way their community has fallen apart, so later on he takes all of the first born sons to train them to be leaders. Believing this will be the salvation of his community and he believes this because this is something that he has been taught from birth.

As a result of Koro’s need to repair his community the only way he knows how he excludes Paikea and almost viciously so. So she teaches herself to be a leader and a warrior and is somehow connected to these whales that when she calls on for help the whales beach themselves and are in danger of dying. Paikea helps them by giving them the strength to go on like the Paikea of her namesake was given strength by the whales so long ago to keep on going and to survive.  After this occurrence Paikea has finally proven herself to be the leader everyone apart from Koro has known her to be. Now that the community has their leader they know their future is going to be bright, and they have come together to celebrate a rebirth. 

An interesting transition shot from Danny Boyle's Trainspotting

The cut begins around 0:27 and goes to around 0:43. I suggest to watch the entire scene it's really beautifully done scene.

Response to The Road Home

One of the objects that stood out to me the most was the bowl not only as a symbol of Di and the school teacher’s love but as a symbol of family. There are stages that the bowl goes through; we first see it in the cupboard in house she shares with her mother. We then see the bowl used to carry food to the school building site which becomes important when Di falls in love with the school teacher. The bowl then breaks when Di tries to get him his favorite dish to him when he had to leave the village do to some issues. There are two more times we see the bowl, we see the bowl the get fixed because her mother wants her to be happy. Then we see it a final time when Di is older and the school teacher is dead, and. Di is serving food this time to her son.

Food is a source of comfort and it helps connect groups of people, and we see that portrayed each time this bowl is taken out. Di uses this bowl and her food to connect to the school teacher specifically to get his attention.  When she is trying to get his attention she is placing them on the table in different placing in hopes he would eat the dish. When they finally have their first conversation she asks him if he ever ate of the bowl.  Prior to the conversation she would try to bump into him this consisted of running around and waiting until she saw him. Even though he lies about eating her food the conversation brings them closer than the high school-esque puppy love way Di expresses her interest. After this the school teacher has to leave because he is summoned by the government. Di runs after hi with his favorite dish and falls breaking the bowl.  This symbolizes their relationship breaking apart for a certain amount of time and the uncertainty that is felt.

When the bowl gets fixed we can still see the cracks in the bowl which we can assume  represents their future because Di and the school teacher and were the only people in their village to fall in love on their own. The bowl does represent the obstacles they faced to be together and to stay together as well.  Even after the death of the school teacher Di still has the bowl which represents how strong their love is and the fact that she shares this bowl with her son kind of completes the circle. What was really interesting was how the bowl matches Di's moments and feelings in a way. When she is trying to get the attention of the school teacher she is constantly moving around like the bowl on the table. When the bowl is broken, she is crushed that the school teacher is leaving and is flat out on the ground like the bowl. When the bowl is fixed but not a seamless fix. Di is eventually deals with the obstacles  love  that is not arranged which was unusual in her village.  

Featured blogger question : The Road Home.

On a larger scale The Road Home deals with how the growth and change. Specifically how change can negatively affect people and places. In between the story of  death of the father and the shrinking village was a love story.  Why do you think the story was told this way and meaning do you draw from it?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

An interesting tracking shot from Chan-wook Park's Stoker