What it’s about
When a Coca-Cola bottle falls from an airplane and lands in the middle of his Kalahari village, Botswana bushman Xi (N!xau), like his fellow tribesmen, views it as a magical gift from the gods. But when fights erupt over the glass totem, Xi is asked to take it to the ends of the earth and return it to the deities who delivered it. Meanwhile, a white South African teacher (Prinsloo), a pratfall-prone microbiologist (Weyers), and a coup-d’etat-minded militiaman (Verwey) are about to cross paths with the charmingly ingenuous Xi, for better and worse.
Why we love it
One of the highest grossing foreign films ever released in the U.S., Uys's endearing satire of modern life and consumption is a mix of slapstick gags, cross-cultural confusion, and hoot-inducing desert humor. The film's star, N!xau, is not an actor, but an aboriginal who, like his character, was completely unacquainted with Western culture before the movie was made. Yet it's the white urban dwellers and war-mad revolutionaries who come off looking like the biggest buffoons — and who earn the most derisive laughs. If you don't find yourself bent over double watching this one-of-a-kind madcap adventure, then it's not just the gods who must be crazy. Suitable for older children.