Cidade de Deus

Rating: 7/10 (25 September 2016)

City of God struck a chord with me negatively for a few different reasons. My first reason is that the cinematography was shot in a way that, although brilliant, definitely gave me a headache. The beginning and end scene with the chicken are notable examples of this. It was really hard to focus on what was happening because of the sudden jump cuts, and this coupled with the loud, fast-paced music in the scenes were pretty off-putting. The other reason is that the violence in the movie was a bit much, but considering the fact that its plot literally revolved around gangs, I can't really complain. That being said, I really enjoyed this movie. I thought that the way the story was told from multiple angles was incredibly well-executed, and it was really fascinating to see the same scenes be shot and perceived in an entirely different angle than they had appeared just moments before. I have to give the team behind this movie credit where it is due, as I can't recall ever seeing any American movies that were filmed in this manner. The way that the two main characters Li'l Zé and Rocket are linked is quite interesting as well. Rocket is the younger brother of Goose, a gang member that Li'l Zé killed. Despite this, Rocket uses his photography skills as a source of income and to unknowingly promote Li'l Zé and his gang, who make their income off drug money. The method in which these two different stories are linked is really well coordinated, and give the movie more substance.
So, in summary, despite the fact that my retinas were in pain for a solid ten minutes of the movie, I still really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.