"What should have been swift revenge turned into an all out war. The City of God was divided."

Rating: 8/10 (9 February 2007)

Planned and executed by the state government of Guanabara, the quarter of Cicade de Deus (City of God) was built in 1960 as part of a policy to remove all favelas (shanty towns; slums) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "We came to the City of God hoping to find paradise," reminisces Rocket, our narrator. "Many families were homeless due to flooding and acts of arson in the slums the big wigs in government didn't joke around. Homeless? Off to City of God!" Nowadays, Cicade de Deus is infamous as a high crime quarter, rife with social problems. "There was no electricity, paved streets or transportation. But for the powerful, our problems didn't matter. We were far too removed from the picture postcard image of Rio de Janeiro." Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund's acclaimed Brazilian film "City of God" dares to veer from this "postcard image" of Brazilian life, creating an intense and uncompromising glimpse at life in the violent and drug-infested slums at the heart of the city.
The story, which spans the 1960s and 1970s, follows two parallel lives in the Cicade de Deus. Rocket is a quiet, honest boy who dreams of becoming a photographer. Whilst nobody in this city is truly innocent, Rocket perhaps comes closest. His father was a fishmonger, and the older brother he respects, Clipper, is a hood (short for hoodlum) who  with two other close friends, Goose and Shaggy - forms the Tender Trio, who acquire their money through theft.
The second child is Li'l Dice, who will later rise to be known as Li'l Zé. An ambitious young boy who often trails the Tender Trio, Li'l Dice attains his first experience of murder via a shockingly revelational flashback. Li'l Dice subsequently grows to become the dominant drug dealer in Cicade de Deus, after successfully eliminating most of his competition and taking over their businesses.
Perhaps the first thing you'll notice about this film is that it is visually stunning. César Charlone's beautiful hand-held camera-work perfectly captures the beauty and horror of Cicade de Deus' chaotic everyday occurrences. Whilst sometimes you feel that the camera darts all over the place unnecessarily, this also offers the film a documentary-like feel, brutally reminding you that this is based on a true story.
'City of God' is an unapologetically intense film, and it certainly is not for the faint of heart. The overwhelming combination of violence, drugs and rape (and the very idea that children as young as ten or so were taking part in all of this) made me nauseous at times, and I would be lying if I said that I enjoyed watching this movie. It was a rewarding experience, and I'm glad that I did watch it, but I can't say it was fun. In fact, I felt quite depressed afterwards. Yes, I suppose this just isn't my sort of movie. For what it's worth, I much preferred watching Fernando Meirelles' follow-up film, 'The Constant Gardener' (2005).