City of God is Not a Movie, City of God is a Living, Breathing World.

Rating: 10/10 (18 April 2016)

A while ago now, someone was professing to me how well done "The Lord of the Rings" is. They said to me, "You know, JRR Tolkien didn't just write a book, he created a world." Although I agreed with him that that was true I retorted that the Peter Jackson films failed to create a living breathing world similar to that seen in the books. My friend agreed but said that I shouldn't hold that against the movies because it is impossible to make a celluloid, living breathing world. At the time I begrudgingly agreed to his statement.
A couple of days ago I picked up "City of God" and gave it a try, and I can now profess that not only is it possible to project a living breathing world onto film, but it is also makes a stunning storytelling tool. While "City of God" takes you on an intertwined adventure through the past and present of poverty stricken Brazil it also takes you along with several important characters who are each fleshed out and real believable people.
I've heard this film described as an open world experience and I feel as if that is an apt description. Depending on where you chose to cast your attention on screen (Usually at the subtitles for us non-Portuguese speakers but never the less) you garner more depth into individual characters' lives and purpose. That kid in the beginning of the film who doesn't want to stand guard is his own individual character and way more than just one thing. Depending on where your attention is at any given moment you can pick up on clues that will relate later down in the movie based off of how characters act and preform in certain situations. Even Shaggy who is one of the first characters to die in the movie is a believable character and we understand his campaign, short lived as it is. Every character is considered their own unique human being and shows tremendous realism to their character.
"City of God" is not only a master piece of characterization but it is also filled with top class cinematography which evokes the feeling of a living, breathing world. From the stylized split screens which show the extent of the world outside of our lead characters to the quick whip pans which allow the camera to have personality and depth we really feel involved this time. More on the camera feeling like a character, when the world is disoriented and a lot is going down the camera motion feels the same. In many ways the cinematography breaks the fourth wall, but instead of characters coming out of this film we are transported in to live and breathe with these lifelike characters.
Another aspect worth noting is the lack of introductions in this movie. A scene will often begin in the middle of a conflict that has been going on off screen for a while. This shows how the characters in "City of God" do not live in front of the camera but rather they continue about their normal lives even when they are not the main focus. While many films use such techniques they are often implemented in a half-hearted way, as in the writers are saying "This character isn't doing anything of importance right now, hence why they are off screen." In "City of God" this is quite the opposite, where characters who are off screen are often in the middle of some of the most important aspects in the plot. This unique style of editing once again makes the world seem so much more alive and vibrant than other films. In conclusion I believe that "City of God" is the biggest accomplishment in cinematic history as both the most realistic portrayal of life ever put on film as well as the biggest argument for film being considered an artwork. I find it hard to see "City of God" as a movie per say but rather as a world that we as the audience are invited to live in. 9.8/10