We Must Be Crazy

"Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions." Albert Einstein. I believe that this quote resonates with the argument of Jammie Uys' classic The Gods Must Be Crazy. As we continue to separate ourselves from the natural environment we are unable to relate to nature and in my opinion a more authentic human experience.
The film begins with a scene that compares the life of a tribe that has no contact with modern civilization in the middle of the Kalahari desert and the busy life in the South African city of Johannesburg. One of the most important characteristics of the tribe of Bushman depicted in the film was the way they enjoyed a peaceful life in a complete natural environment and had no unfulfilled wants. The Bushman believed that the gods had placed everything they needed, such as food, shelter, family, and friends. But the life of the peaceful tribe of "Busman" is turn into an unexpected adventure by a Coca-Cola bottle thrown from a plane that passed over the sky.
The bottle is found by Xi, a middle age "Bushman," and brought to the tribe as a present from the gods. None of the members of the tribe had seen a more strange object. Children and elder alike wanted to touch and look at the bottle. For a moment, it seemed that the bottle had brought joy to the tribe; however, soon feelings of envy and fights over the possession of the bottle started. Xi, as one of the "leaders" of the Bushman decided to get rid of the strange object taking it to what he called the end of the world.
Xi never had to walk so far, but in his endeavor, he found himself entangle in the civilized world.had never seen the civilized world. He had no idea what a car, gun, or even a white person looked like.
The innocence and good heart of Xi clearly wins the heart of the audience and the humor of the movie allows the argument of the film to impact the audience in an unelected way. In my opinion, the story and humor of the film allows people who are not connected with the natural environment to have a glimpse at what living closer to to Mother Nature can be. Although the film is idealistic, and the Bushman are shown as pristine beyond reality, it does reflect a side of our humanity that has been lost in an effort to control our environment and acquire more man made possessions.

To support even more the story, the life of Ms. Jones, a reporter in Johannesburg, reflects the common life in a city full of stress of the daily routine. Ms. Jones decides to become a teacher in a remote area in Botswana, close to the Kalahari desert, where she finds piece and love among a scientist who is experimenting with wild life in the area. The characters of Ms. Jones and the scientist Andrew Stain add a lot of slapstick humor to the film in scenes with the car without a hand break, the rhinoceros, and the hog.

Finally, I believe that The Gods Must Be Crazy allows viewers to get a sense of a what a simple life without possessions can look like with the help of slapstick humor and a struggle for human identity. Even though many would argue that the images of the Bushman where fake, I think the movie does have the potential to ignite the curiosity of viewers in a less materialistic lifestyle. Albert Einstein states, is difficult to understand concepts that are outside of our society; however, I believe that humor and film have the potential of bringing experiences closer to viewers that otherwise would not have the chance to conceive.