Legit Water Works

"Tsotsi," the South African Oscar winner for foreign film, left me and 80% of the audience weeping in the aisles. Yes, it's a tear-jerker, but one that feels legit. There is no Hollywood manipulation here, no Spielberg bag o' tricks to start the water works. Like the Brazilian film, "City of God," "Tsotsi" is about a despicable teenaged thug in the shantytowns. Tsosti finds redemption when he finds a baby after he shoots the infant's mother. The redemption is precious, and you know it's fleeting, and that's what makes it so sweet and heartbreaking.