Director Tim Greene transplants Dickens' Oliver Twist to contemporary Cape Town in a superb South African coming-of-age story. Jarrid Geduld plays the sprightly hero, who escapes from a rural orphanage and travels to the city to fall in with an unruly gang of urchins. By capturing the harsh realities of a socially stratified city, Greene effectively breathes new life into a timeless, powerful tale. "Shows admirable pluck, due to its star's nigh-on criminal kid charisma" (Village Voice).                                    Tim Greene---South Africa---2004---115 mins.