Dark, haunting, brilliant, but most of all, memorable.

Rating: 10/10 (17 May 2009)

"Cidade de Deus" is one of those it's so crude but it's sad but true movies that will exist.
The viewing experience is haunting, disturbing, dark, but at the same time is reflexive, positive, and gives you the idea of how life is extremely hard for some people.
At the same time, the movie focuses on the "Gangsta" way of living in the most dangerous places in Brazil, and in "the favela." What intrigues me the most is the exceptional research that the Director Fernando Meireles did on displaying the horrors and false honors as a consequence of making a living out of gangs.
The Brazilian settings are beautiful, breath-taking and contrast with the dark tone of the movie. I really dug the main confrontation between the most important gangs and how it became too political.
Through the eyes of our lead character, we learn that since childhood, through teenager years, then becoming a young adult, things seem to get more complicated if you don't get into crime. The sad result is that narcotraffic or drug dealing whatever you want to call it, is the only chance for a specific social class to have a decent life.
But also, the movie reminds us that not everybody who sadly lives in the gangsta style are bad or ambitious. The main character is the prime example as he tries to get a decent job and not take a part on the black business.
Oh but we get memorable characters like Ze Pequeño who is the most evil badass I've seen on any movie recently! Heck, he's the Brazilian Joe Pesci from "Goodfellas". I mean, his performance is wicked, scary, and excellent.
Some situations are memorable like the motel massacre, the sunrising in the beach, the ghettos, the final confrontation, and the whole photographs subplot.
Drug dealing, weapon dealing, crimes, murders, stealing are the common words in this movie but not on a negative note, no, these elements happen to be constructive on the reality bites factor. The movie is not a critic, it's only a display of a hard reality for those who get involved in mafia, no matter where and when. But don't take my review as a moral critic, please be objective and give the recognition the movie deserves. It's a fantastic structured tale of crime and how life in general is just the sandbox for it.
The movie also has space for love, family, and even redemption interests. I truly liked the ending because it leaves us satisfied but without a real solution. I mean, we get the elements to make an opinion but anyways we know that nothing will possibly change.
A memorable, haunting, and brilliant piece of a dark cinema. Thank you Fernando Meireles for producing this movie.
Also, I have to get this off my chest... but Alice Braga is possibly the most beautiful, hot, sexy and charming woman I've seen on any South American film. She's just breath taking. Her beauty is impressive.