Top notch Brazilian modern classic

Rating: 9/10 (21 September 2017)

Fernando Meirelles' City of God is one of the most dynamic and exhilarating crime-dramas to come out since the new millennium. It has a that peculiarly Latin American energy that can be so seductive. Set in and around the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, it looks at the nature of crime in the poor districts of the city and more specifically the way in which abject poverty feeds organised crime and the drug-trade in particular. It also shows the vicious circle, where the young ultimately rise and seize the crown from their marginally older peers, having been corrupted by their exposure to violence and cynicism since they were infants. This is a crime-drama with a clear social conscience and it is this depth which adds considerably to the overall whole. What makes the film so good is that this realistic drama, well-rounded characters and social significance is fused with an unashamedly highly stylized and very cinematic presentation, with audacious camera pans, jump-cuts and various other flashy techniques used to tell the story. These never over-power the story, however, and are used to add to the excitement at the right moments or to convey lots of information effectively.
The narrative jumps through time also as it tells its story involving many characters. There are two main periods covered – the 1960's when the lead characters are kids and the 1970's when they are teenagers. The period detail is another great benefit, with a soundtrack to match the eras. The main character is a boy called Rocket who dreams of being a photojournalist and abstains from the gang lifestyle. On the other side of the fence are his peers Lil' Zé and Bené who fall into the criminal life, with the former working his way up to being one of the most feared criminals in the city. It's a great story with a multitude of characters, with several disturbing moments but also much genuinely funny comedy as well. It is overall a very well-rounded movie and is one of the most purely exciting cinematic offerings of the 2000's.