Tsotsi

Based on the novel by acclaimed South African playwright Athol Fugaro, this year's Foreign Language Oscar winner is a visually sharp and engrossing film charting the personal odyssey of a hardened street-thug.

Set in a cramped Johannesburg township (the film was shot on location in J'berg and Soweto), the film follows young looking 19 year old Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae's superb first feature performance) who roams the subway system with his mates, looking to jack people.

After one incident goes too far, Tsotsi, under provocation, turns on one of his gang members. Coming to his senses, Tsotsi flees and runs.

Confused, angry and wanting to keep running, he hijacks a car, shooting somebody whilst trying to escape. As he drives, a noise screeches him to a halt - the cry of a baby.

And thus begins the story of a teenager, barely a man, who has had to fend for himself and grow up quick.

The reality of the baby in Tsotsi's chaotic life makes him reassess his mode of living.

Central to his transformation is the relationship he forges with Miriam, a local single mother who he forces at gunpoint to feed the baby. Played by Terry Pheto, Miriam's unassuming beauty and quiet virtue disarm Tsotsi's aggressive facade, and her gentle questions make him confront his inner turmoil.

As his relationship with Miriam continues, so does his path of self-realisation and ultimately redemption. "Tsotsi" means gangster in the language of South Africa's townships. The character gradually learns to take back the name he was given, and with it, his dignity and compassion.

Director Gavin Hood delivers pace and pathos in this poignant picture with a sure hand. The excellent dialogue - entirely in Tsotsi-Taal, a patois-slang of the townships - is accompanied by the urgency and street-savvyness of the rich Kwaito music of the area.

Reminiscent of City Of God, but not as frantic, this is a deeply affecting film. Without shying away from the violence and gross contradictions of contemporary South Africa, compassion and humanity come to the fore, making Tsotsi a film that will translate to audiences across the world.

Showing at the Duke Of York's Picture House, Preston Circus, Brighton, from March 17-23