A timely piece on gun violence and children, but still missing some pieces.

Rating: 7/10 (16 October 2017)

Violence on children is something that has been strayed away from in film due to fear of being taboo. In City of God, the true story of gang wars that take place in a small city in Rio during the 1960s and 1970s, violence against (and typically stemming from) children is anything but taboo, and so it is that the children define the film. Their interactions both business-like and genuine, and with little remorse from any of the involved.
The pacing of the film as it follows its lead Rocket through the decade or so that this story takes place in is surreal, and makes the viewer feel nostalgic for a time that they may not have lived. The movement from the slums of Rio and the titular "City of God" to the nicer areas with consistent power and running heated water serves as a wake-up call to how little the children really have in their lives, and at times, almost gives a reason for the violence; one kills to survive. The shot lengths and angles, whether it be an eye-to-eye stand off between gang members, or an aerial view of a fight about to break out on a dance floor, keeps the tensity palpable at any moment, certainly meant to be akin to actually living in that lifestyle. The use of lighting, keeping both extreme high-key and low-key lighting for Godfather-like scenes or chases and escapes and choosing to keep a very moderate low-key atmosphere for the majority of the film speaks volumes to the setting and the poor state of decay the characters must muscle through to make a life for themselves.
Though the violence takes center stage in this coming of age story, there is still plenty of heart coming from all angles on the deeper levels within. Losses of family, dignity, and love all have their roles to play, some winding down to let others take stage and some seemingly abandoned altogether. Though the plot closes in late adolescence, it leaves the audience wondering about the fates of the children in their City of God.