Tsotsi

In the film Tsotsi, there were three levels of social problems shown, micro, mid, and macro levels. The micro level is shown in many ways in the movie. One way micro level is shown is theft. The theft seen is shown in the movie when the boys patrol the station looking to steal for money or food. Another example of micro is being an orphan as shown in the movie with Tsotsi. Without a mother or a father in Tsotsi’s whole life he has no sense of right and wrong and just follows what he believes. Homelessness is another example of micro because Tsotsi is shown living on his own in a pipe with other kids and then later moves on into slums when he’s older. Desperation is also a micro social issue because Tsotsi is forced to find means to survive at whatever the cost. He will steal, murder, and hurt anyone or anything that may pose a threat to him and his survival. Desperation is the result of living alone and in poverty. An abusive childhood is an example of micro because whatever Tsotsi has seen in his past effects his future as he see’s flashbacks of events related to his current actions and the ones in his past childhood. The Mid-level is also shown in the movie in many ways. Violence is an example of mid-range issue because the individual will cause violence for the simplest reasons like when Tsotsi beat up Boston because he was being made fun of. Violence not only affects an individual it also affects a group or others around the individual. Murder is an example if mid-range because a group will murder for survival like when in the train with Tsotsi and his friends murdered the man for money. Kidnapping also falls in this category because it affects the family of the kidnapped child or person, in this case it would be the infants parents as Tsotsi takes the car and does not take back the child in the car. Finally, the Macro level is also shown in the movie in various ways. Poverty is macro because not only the individual in the community is poor but everyone else is in the community as they wear the same type of homemade clothing because they don’t have money to buy. The lack of water is macro because the whole community needs water to survive and not just a single individual and this is shown in Tsotsi’s community as they have limited water and resources. The police is a major problem in the film because they seem to not have much interest in their job because they do nothing with the shooting incident and the kidnapping as they do not want to go in the slums. The significance of decency is that it separates the good from the bad as seen in the murder scene between Boston and Tsotsi as Boston gets sick after the murder because he has a sense of right and wrong. Decency also shows emotion and remorse for crimes as seen with Tsotsi and the wheel chair man when Tsotsi gives the man lots of money because Tsotsi kicked away his money earlier in the movie. This was Tsotsi’s decency to return the money as he had gained sense of right and wrong.