Here, ladies and gentlemen, is the post I promised yesterday. Incidentally, it's also the 270th post on this blog. That's quite a few, but it seems less impressive when you consider the fact that we've been operating since 2003. There were certainly some lean times over the years, but I believe that we have at least one post for every month of our existence, which probably puts us in the top percentile of functioning blogs, considering the countless numbers that are created every day and subsequently abandoned. I've gone ahead and added another link to the "cool people" section, but it's up to you to figure out who's responsible for the interesting posts that wind up there. Anyway, on to the business at hand.
Pat, Peter, and I went to see "Tsotsi" at the fine Lake Theater in Oak Park this past Wednesday. The movie had recently won the Academy Award for best foreign language film. I can't really comment on whether or not it should have won the award, since I am not familiar with the other films in the category, but "Tsotsi" was certainly enjoyable, if not a little unusual.

It takes place in South Africa and follows the experiences of a young thug whose life takes a bizarre turn when he accidentally abducts an infant during a carjacking. This, of course, changes him, as his amoral attitude is shed and his basic human nature comes through. The film seems to suggest that all humans are basically good, or have some sense of "decency" as one character might say. It is our basic human-ness which becomes and equalizer. The two main female characters are exemplary of this. Both care for their children over themselves and you could not claim that one is a better mother than the other. Neither woman is immune to tragedy. The poor woman's husband was killed and the rich woman's wealth cannot prevent the crimes committed against her. Ultimately, the film's conclusion tells us that although we may be united through our human-ness, we must all account for our transgressions sooner or later, as this is the only way to preserve a crumbling society where basic human nature is often clouded.

All in all, a quality film.

Keep it real, folks.