Gavin Hood's Tsotsi won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film at the 2005 Academy Awards, and for once, we agree. The haunting film, out now on DVD, should not be missed. Also, Oliver Assayas' powerful drama Clean, starring the director's ex-wife Maggie Cheung.
1. Tsotsi
Gavin Hood's Oscar-winner gangster drama Tsotsi tells the story of a hard-boiled shantytown thug whose heart begins to melt when he accidentally kidnaps a baby during a carjacking gone awry. Presley Chweneyagae gives a seething performance in the South African film. The DVD release includes alternate endings and deleted scenes with optional commentary with screenwriter/director Gavin Hood; a making of featurette, and Hood's short film The Storekeeper.
2. Clean
Maggie Cheung played a leather clad vampire in Oliver Assayas' first collabortaio Irma Vep. This time, the actress and director (also former wife and husband) reteam in a very different kind of film. Cheung won the Best Actress award at Cannes for her extraordinary performance as a junkie trying to pick up her life. The DVD release features interviews with Olivier Assayas, Maggie Cheung and Nick Nolte, and musicians Tricky and Metric.