An enthralling coming of age tale set in a violent Rio ghetto
foreign film fan
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FEB
19
2008
City of God —
"City of god" is a nickname that residents give the slum that they live in on the outskirts of Rio De Janeiro. The movie, City of God (2002), tells the story of a group of boys growing up in the city of god in the 1970s. From childhood through young adulthood, we see the lives of the residents effected by the growing drug violence, finally culminating in a bloody street war.Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) upon whom this true story is based, is primarily a narrator who aspires to become a photographer and get out of the slum. Thus the story is told through his view point, but focuses upon the other kids who were lured into the drug gangs. Li'l Zé (Leandro Firmino) and Bené (Phellipe Haagensen) are best friends who grow into gang warlords. Whereas Li'l Zé grows increasingly violent and becomes the main instigator in the drug wars, Bené wants a way out and longs for a peaceful hippie lifestyle. Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge -- American audiences may recognize him from A Life Aquatic where he could be seen strumming the guitar and singing David Bowie songs in Portuguese) is an ex-military man working his way out of the slum, but becomes the co-leader in the other side of the war after a violent run in with Li'l Zé.
The city of god itself also becomes one of the main characters in this movie. It is so expertly shot that it comes to life and we come to understand its ways and the power that the slum has over it's inhabitants.
We see all of these characters consumed by the violence of the drug trade and effects of poverty. No one is left untouched and I'll leave it to you to watch the movie to see where the thread of each individual's story ends up.
City of God is visually stunning. While most of the scenes take place in the slums, we get glimpses of the rest of Rio. The directing (by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund) is very dynamic, often reminding me of Tarentino (and I'm sure others, since he's coped from all the greats!) in how it uses pacing, cuts, and editing to enrich the action. The movie is of course in Portuguese, with English subtitles.
The DVD also comes with an additional documentary about current day Rio slums, a history of how the drug trade started, and its effects on current day youths in the city. This was an extremely interesting addition to the film and you don't want to miss watching it if you have the DVD version.
Overall, City of God is a gorgeous film that kept me entranced (both times I watched it). It is a unique look into a very different culture that tells a universal story of struggle and human hopes.
Last edited on Feb 19, 2008
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