Captures Lightning in a bottle

Rating: 10/10 (4 February 2003)

"'Cidade de Deus' captures lightning in a bottle. Like many, if not all of the internationally reknowned Brazilian films of the past decade 'Cidade de Deus shows us a segment of the Brazilian population in near perfect cinematic simulacrum. A story whose structure is indebted to "Citizen Kane" and is just as intellectually stimulating, this films narrative moves circularly telling the tales of many characters who become the central figures in a 'favela'. Rarely is criminality portrayed in such dimension, there is not one 'no-nonsense, tough as nails, born a jerk will die a jerk in this but. The characterization separates and explains the motivations of each main cast member perfectly. The word circular works also to describe the nature of the story which is one of crime and corruption; it is something that never ends as we all know but the filmmaking is so captivating that we expect a 'happy ends' but love the truth the film shows regardless. The Samba-infused score and frenetic cinematography work hand in hand to add rhythm and emotion where it is needed but the cold, shocking and gut-wrenching scenes are left as is and work wonderfully. This is a film worth multiple viewings and careful examination and is a rarity a great piece of art that ALSO makes a socio-political statement.