The Gods Must Be Crazy

A simple accident upends life for a small Kalahari group when a Coca-Cola bottle falls from the sky and is picked up by Xi, a curious hunter. What starts as a useful tool quickly becomes a source of envy and conflict, as the bottle spreads through the tribe and upends their cooperative routines. Troubled by the social friction it creates, Xi decides the only solution is to return the object to its makers, and he sets off toward the edge of the known world. Along the way the film cuts to encounters with outsiders and bureaucrats, and those meetings produce a string of absurd misunderstandings and physical comedy without straying into cruelty.

Jamie Uys wrote and directed the film, which was released in 1980. It was filmed in South Africa and features N!xau in his first major role alongside Marius Weyers and Sandra Prinsloo.

The movie became an international surprise hit, attracting audiences far beyond its country of origin. It performed strongly in many markets and helped bring attention to South African cinema, even though exact grosses varied by territory.

The title line and the image of the bottle entered popular awareness, and the movie inspired sequels, parodies, and references in other media. It also helped launch N!xau as a recognizable face, and the film continues to be cited when people talk about cross cultural comedy and fish-out-of-water scenarios.

Critical responses were mixed to positive, with many reviewers enjoying the film's broad humor and simple moral setup, while others called attention to its stereotyped portrayals and uneven tone. Major themes include clashes between modern consumer goods and traditional life, the unintended consequences of "useful" technology, and how different worldviews misinterpret one another, all presented with a light, often slapstick touch.