A bushman in an idyllic society comes across a coke bottle, discarded from a small plane. At first everyone finds constructive uses of it, but gradually they start to fight, and experience emotions such as anger and jealousy for the first time. So Xi (played by a real bushman called N!xau), one of the men, decides to walk to the ends of the earth to return it to the gods.

Meanwhile a young and attractive teacher is on her way to Botswana, being met by a rather klutzy scientist, and some guerillas try to assassinate the president. Xi gradually meets people in so-called civilized society, and finds it all very difficult to deal with – leading to some amusing moments. It could have been condescending, but the film actually pokes fun at supposedly advanced civilization, seeing the bushman tribe as the ideal, and Xi – who is brilliant – gradually learning about life outside his home.

Some slapstick humour which is actually very amusing, and lots of misunderstandings… very well done despite low budget; this was a surprise hit in 1980, and there’s a fascinating ‘extra’ about the real bushmen actors – who were rather different from the people they portrayed.

I liked it better than I expected to.

Great combination of physical and situational comedy. The introduction was especially enjoyable when they take a shot at western culture, comparing it to the lifestyle of the central character, an African bushman (I’m not sure on the current politically correct term).