Effectively brutal

Rating: Null/10 (11 October 2014)

Based on a novel by Paulo Lins who based the plot on real events having taken place in a favela, Brazilian slum, called City of God. The story is one of lost, unforgiving odds, bleak chances, little to no chance of escaping and of friends turned enemies.
City of God is a unique experience and a unique film. Only a couple of the actors had had any prior acting experience, all of them in relatively minor roles. All of the rest, including all the main actors, were picked from actual favelas, many of them from the actual City of God. And yet, if I hadn't been told this, I couldn't have told. They're that good, that deep into their characters, and they bring this manic energy into everything they do on screen. You can sense the raw emotions churning under their skin, because they've been there. They know what it's like.
The film doesn't pull any punches either. It tells the story about young street punks, looking their slice of heaven and riches through robbery, drug dealing, racketing, murder and mayhem. It doesn't shy away from the harsh realities, it doesn't try to sugarcoat it, nor does it offer any excuses.
Aside from the unprofessional actors, the rest of the film is very professional. The cinematography is brilliant, as is the whole style, the whole vibrant yet muddy feel they give to the City. The story spans about a decade of time, yet it feels cohesive, like we never lose anything because of a jump in time.
City of God is unforgiving. It's brutal, bloody, unpleasant and showcases that we still have a long way to go as a species. But we need films like it exactly for that last part. We need to be shown what's still wrong with the world. And I admire this film for having to guts to do just that.