Breathtaking

Rating: 9/10 (16 October 2017)

City of God is the name of a city in the slums of Rio de Janeiro where this movie takes place. It tells the story of what its like living and growing up in a city where violence is common and drug lords had more power than the police.
By the short synopsis I just gave, one might think that this is a dark and horrific film to watch. While some scenes containing violence are scary, others are not and that is what is interesting about this film. Sound largely influences the film, upbeat music plays while a drug lord shoots a child, the drug gang smiles big for a picture each one slinging an assault rifle, kids becoming soldiers is celebrated This film is shocking in the various ways that it tries to desensitize its audience to murder, rape, and drugs. In this way, the film truly attempts to get its audience to understand how common these tragedies were in the City of God.
Although a violent movie, there are times when the mise en scene is absolutely breathtaking. Taking place in Rio de Janeiro, the sun is shining and the beaches are hot. When the movie cuts to the beaches, we see a happier and safer City of God. These scenes are not long because the film tries to maintain that nobody is truly ever safe if they live in the City of God. I highly recommend this thought provoking movie to anyone.