Life of children amid-st violence and drug-abuse

Rating: 9/10 (8 August 2016)

Movie Review: City of God (2002) -Ayush Tulsyan Director: Fernando Meirelle
Based on real events, City of God is the story of children who grew up in a violent neighborhood of Rio De Jenerio, a ghetto by the name "Cidade De Deus" which is Portuguese for "City of God". Told from the viewpoint of a boy named Rocket, this movie which spans over more than two decades of violence, depicts a lot of drug-abuse, mafia war, crime led by the motive of revenge, and amid-st all these, the desperation of our narrator to become a photographer. Though the movie is in Portuguese, and you might not identify any of the actors, it is real fun to watch, especially for those people who enjoyed watching Gangs of Wasseypur.
The movies begins somewhere around the late 1960s where our narrator is 8 or 9 year old kid who idolizes his elder brother but isn't brave enough to follow him into his hood-lump activities. During one such activity, because of another kid named Lil' Dice, Rocket's brother and his gang end up in trouble. Around mid 70s, This kid Lil'Dice changes his name to Lil'Z, grows into power and takes over all the Drug lords of the town. What follows is Lil'Z regime in the City. The movie revolves around Lil'Z, his friend Benny, Rocket and a former army-man Knockout Ned.
There are a lot of indigenous sound tracks in the movie. The opening track aptly does the job of engaging the audience. The expressions, the enthusiasm in dialogue delivery and the music aptly conveys all the emotions.
The Cinematography is amazing. A lot of wide frame shots have been taken stunningly. The color scheme has been maintained throughout which ensures continuity and absorbs the viewer in the movie, which is further supported by camera movements. They areas intuitive and thought out as they could be. The direction and the set design also have a constant taste throughout the movie.
City of God is something which gives you an insight in the lives of people living in violence affected regions and the effect of this violence on the local children. If you're comfortable with cuss words, then this movie is a must watch.