The Gods Must Be Crazy
The Gods Must Be Crazy- directed by Jamie Uys
- "A funny and very complex tale encompassing a love story, apartheid, and the misadventures of a Kalahari tribesman named Xi, whose people have never encountered a white person until he sets out to return a Coke bottle to 'the gods' at the end of the world..."
- Amazon.co.uk entry »
Review posted on 22 February 2006 by Alice Curteis, World-wise reviewer
The South African film, The Gods Must Be Crazy, tells a funny and very complex tale encompassing a love story, apartheid, and the misadventures of a Kalahari tribesman named Xi, whose people have never encountered a white person until he sets out to return a Coke bottle to 'the gods' at the end of the world.
This Coke bottle was casually discarded from a plane and causes problems in Xi's remote closeknit and previously harmonious Bushman community because everyone wants to use it... which is why Xi sets out to return it.
The complicated and hilarious love interest between an Afrikaans microbiologist, Andrew Stein, and a reporter turned teacher, Kate Thompson, intersects with Xi on his journey and with characters involved in a failed anti-apartheid revolution - all played out against the backdrop of the extraordinary desert environment of the Kalahari.
The viewer will be tempted to see parts of this story as a parable for what a multinational corporation's products do to a traditional society, although reviewers have rarely pointed this out.
Some critics have found the portrayal of racial characteristics troubling, especially in the slapstick humour which comes from Xi's interaction with white society, but others see Uys's approach as ironic. Look out for The Gods Must be Crazy II. Brilliant scenes for fans of aged landrovers.