City of God: Film Review

Uh oh...

The Brazilian film, Cidade de Deus, or "City of God" follows a young group of children who come of age in late 1960s/early 1980s Brazil. An international darling when it was first released in 2002, it has become one of the best-known films from Brazil since its release, and also went on to receive four (4) Oscar nominations at the 76th Academy Awards (Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing). It's a film that I really find to be terrific, and I would like to take this opportunity to delve a bit as to why I find it so.

Tourism

    -To start, I find the aesthetic of the film be fairly impressive. I love how the cinematography makes the slums nice to look at in a general sense, yet also reminds you that these slums are...well, slums. As in, there is a sense of life that can is quite palatable, but also doesn't hide the dog-eat-dog mentality that the residents of the slums inhabit. The "beauty-and-the-horror" balance cinematography is one that is tough to pull off, as many filmmakers use it just as an excuse to make a film look ugly, but City of God manages to find it. Bonus points as well for all of those beach shots. 

    -The production design also works well in tandem with the cinematography, as the former is a great example of location scouting, and I think several set pieces in the film add a lot to the narrative (the ending chase, the birthday party, the beaches, the newspaper offices.)

    -On a written & directed front, both of these aspects are also great in crafting the world that the film wants to take you to. Fernando Meirelles's direction is one of the key main factors in creating an epic, as his choices really add a sense of life to the slums (the birthday party, yet is also capable at finding the terror (the child murders) and/or the nuance when he needs to (a key reaction from the films' main villain, who I'll be getting to.) The screenplay also adds a lot of detail to each section of the film, and it really makes you feel like you *know* the places on a personal level, without bogging the thrust of the film down.

-One more note: the kinetic editing of this film is some of the best you'll ever see of its' kind. It properly creates the madness & chaos that you'll see in the slums, yet also doesn't throw you off or confuse you. 

The Ensemble

Many of the actors in the film were...well...non-actors before they joined the cast, however, you would honestly believe this to be the case, as everyone in the cast just seems to inhabit the setting the film naturally. Although more an ensemble in nature, the film does have a sort-of lead in Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), as a young man who is just trying to make an honest living in the chaotic world of the slums, as a photographer. Besides him, the cast is filled with other vivid characters that are integral to the complexity of crime in the slums, such as:

    -Benny, a friendly drug dealer who, like Rocket, wants to be free from crime, and who generally gets along with everyone.

    -Carrot, also a drug dealer who gets along with Benny, and does just enough to survive in the slums, but doesn't "fully" operate on the 100% level of viciousness that many others in the slums do.

    -Knockout Ned, a ladies' man who gets roped into a life of crime unwillingly and demonstrates that not everyone can escape the punishing slums, both physically and metaphorically.

And of course...

Uhh...don't let this picture fool you...

-Lil Ze, played by Leandro Firmino da Hora, is the main villain of the film, as a psychopathic drug lord in the slums, who simply loves what he does and takes great pleasure. If you ask me, that latter aspect makes him all the more scarier. Anyways, Firmino gives an impressive performance that manages to capture many traits that take him past being a standard drug lord. 

    - A sense of unearned bravado, as he acts as though he owns the slums and anyone who crosses WILL die.

    - An urge to do crime and ONLY crime, since once you break it down, it's the only thing he really knows how to do.

    -Vulnerability, as one of my favorite scenes in the film is when he doesn't know what to do when  shooting someone or crime in general isn't an option. 

Key Scene

Here, we take a closer look at the friendship between Benny and Li'l Ze, as we see two common archetypes of criminals at play here: one who ONLY wants to keep doing crime, and one who wants to get out and live a better life. I particularly love the look on Li'l Zes' face when the girl refuses to dance with him, and especially his reaction afterwards, as he wants to leave the party and just start doing crime stuff again.

Conclusion:

Overall, I find City of God to be an excellent film, one where the stylistic choices really amplify the story, and one where the story itself is just pretty entertaining while also being t\\ interesting as we follow the lives of these young lads, as they become men in the City of God.

5/5

Have you seen the film? If so, what do you think of it?

If you haven't, what are you waiting for?