Film analysis - Movie Review Example

Film Review: The Gods Must be crazy The Gods Must be crazy The Gods must be crazy is a South African movie written and directed by Jamie Uys. The movie was first released in South Africa in 1980 before being very successful in the foreign market. Upon its release, The Gods must be crazy broke all box office record in South Africa (Pfaff, 2004). It was later on released in the United States in 1884 and was well received, breaking the box office record for foreign movies in America. The movie also did very well in other countries across Europe and Asia, breaking all box office record in Japan (Pfaff, 2004).

The movie was critically acclaimed and received positive reviews internationally. The Gods must be crazy features N!xau as Xi, a leader of the Bushman tribe living in the Kalahari in South Africa. The story revolves around Xi’s journey to the end of the world to dispose off a bottle considered a source of evil by his tribesmen. Other stories developing in the moves include the romantic affair between a scientist, Andrew Stein, and Kate Thompson, a school teacher, living in an urban city. There is also the story of Sam Boga, a leader of a rebellious group that was fighting the government.

The movie gives us different lifestyles in the city, where people and civilized, and that of Xi’s Bushman tribe, living a primitive life in the Kalahari. The setting of the movie reflects the lifestyles of the South African Bushmen in the 1970s and 80s which by now have changed. The movie’s main theme is that of civilization and its effects on people (Pfaff, 2004). This has clearly been brought out by the contrast of life in the city and that of the Bushman tribe living an enclosed life in the desert.

The Bushman Tribe enjoyed their lifestyle because they had everything they needed. They lived a very natural life, getting everything from Mother Nature. They were a very religious community and believed everything they had, had been given to them by their gods. They were living happily amongst themselves with shared community resources, no conflicts and they were all contended with what they had from their gods. The Bushmen lived a very enclosed life in the bush and oblivious of other people who lived outside their community.

They loved their gods and believed they were the only ones living on earth. On the other hand, life in the city was very different. It was coupled up with a lot of hustles and increased competition for the limited resources. This movie has a lot of lessons that we can take and use to improve our lifestyle. Just by watching the movie and getting to familiarize with the characters and how they interact, one can get valuable lessons relating to customer satisfaction and businesses as well as understanding consumption (Pfaff, 2004).

Xi’s tribesmen were very much contended with what they had. They loved each other and their environment regardless of living a primitive lifestyle. The people in the city have been influenced by civilization; they live a more individualized lifestyle and struggle for the limited resources. They are not content with what they have, and they keep looking for more in their daily hustles. Xi’s tribesmen were surprised one day when a bottle fell on their land after being thrown from a plane. They had never seen such a thing and immediately attributed it to the gods as a one of the gifts they send them.

They did not know how to use the bottle. Since it was only one bottle, they had to share it and use it for various purposes before finally settling to use it as a weapon. The bottle caused a lot of envy, jealousy and conflicts among the community as everybody wanted to have it. Seeing the negative effects that the bottle had brought, the tribe felt that it had been brought by evil spirits, and they had to dispose it off. Xi, the head of the community embarks on a journey to the end of the world to dispose the bottle far away from the community.

This story teaches us one important lesson, that we should be contended with what we have (Pfaff, 2004). New things come with their own negative effects like the bottle did in the case of the Bushmen. The bottle symbolizes civilization technology, which despite being useful for some time; it can have very many negative effects to us as individuals. Technology makes people slaves, and they become less creative and less contended with what they have, like the people in the urban city in the movie.

Businesses can learn that they do not need to have the best technology or a lot of resources so as to please their customers. They can use their limited resources creatively, and they will still be able to satisfy their customer’s needs. We also learn that we need to improve understanding of consumption. One’s consumption is best done within the limits of his or her resources. New products and technology change our lives a lot. We need to be careful in assessing the negative effects of new products and technology.

This can help us discard bad products just like the Bushmen disposed off the bottle from their community. Reference Pfaff, F. (2004). Focus on African Films. Indiana: Indiana University Press.