本片灵感来自布隆坎普2004年的短片《Tetra Vaal》。故事讲述本该成为机器人巡警的人工智能小机器人“查皮”（Chappie）刚刚诞生没多久就被两个犯罪分子绑架，他们想改造它来做坏事，但却和查皮组成了一个非传统的临时家庭。查皮有着超乎寻常的天赋，是一个天才，只是碰巧投胎成为了一个机器人。

丹尼在一次绑架案中被劫为人质，不幸丧命，全家人万分悲痛。他们终日以打鱼为生，好不容易才把丹尼送入大学。办案警官戈泽驱车来到丹尼的家乡，表示歉意，被失去理智的家人赶了出来。丹尼的姐姐珊妮借故留下戈泽，召集弟弟生前三个朋友找他报仇。在杀手来到之前，戈泽警官再次向全家解释了丹尼遇害的经过，表示深深的歉意。随着双方交流的逐步加深，全家人渐渐理解并宽恕了戈泽警官，特别是珊妮为找来杀手一事自责不已，可危险已经朝戈泽而来。
戈泽和珊妮全家来到丹尼的坟墓，亲手献上贝壳表示祝福。此时三个杀手赶到，虽然珊妮尽全力阻止，可为时已晚，戈泽警官死在了丹尼的几个朋友抢下。珊妮为自己的愚昧和冲动伤心自责，离开了小镇。
影片展现南非海滩地区的风俗人情，表现了各个人物内心的仇恨、矛盾、忏悔交织在一起的感情，最终人性的善良宽恕了所有的罪恶，如海中白色的贝壳一般纯净。

A divorced, middle-aged English professor finds himself increasingly unable to resist affairs with his female students. When discovered by the college authorities, he is expected to apologise and repent in an effort to save his job, but he refuses to become a scapegoat in what he see as as a show trial designed to reinforce a stringent political correctness. He preempts the authorities and leaves his job, and the city, to spend time with his grown-up lesbian daughter on her remote farm. Things between them are strained - there is much from the past they need to reconcile - and the situation becomes critical when they are the victims of a brutal and horrifying attack. In spectacularly powerful and lucid prose, Coetzee uses all his formidable skills to engage with a post-apartheid culture in unexpected and revealing ways. This examination into the sexual and poliitcal lawlines of modern South Africa as it tries desperately to start a fresh page in its history is chilling, uncompromising and unforgettable.

海纳百川，有容乃大，人类历史就是不同文明交融的过程。“洋经典”系列为读者推荐了一批小巧玲珑的外国文化好书。小巧的篇幅容纳了文明的博大，精致的文字表达出了智慧的深沉。本书为丛书之一，是2003年度诺贝尔文学奖得主库切的作品。它以小说和讲座的形式讨论了尊重动物尊严与权利的问题。本书内容涉及人类学、动物学、哲学和宗教学，不同的知识背景共同营造了一个异常广阔的文学与学术交相辉映的天地。
“洋经典”系列为读者推荐了一批小巧玲珑的外国文化好书，丛书所选作品来自各国大家，都是人文学科中的精华，不少是作家的代表之作，而且可诵易读。它们题材各异，体裁不限，文学、历史、哲学、宗教、社会、伦理无所不包，随笔、散文、游记、自传、小说、论著应有尽有。一册小书，凝聚人类智慧，在轻轻松松的阅读中，我们和世界沟通心扉。本书为丛书之一。