A truly remarkable piece of 'real' cinema

Rating: 8/10 (29 January 2003)

Meirelles viewed first hand the destructive lives of the citizens of the City of God, and his appreciation of their difficult existence is evident from this supreme piece of Brazilian film-making. The story flows fluidly as we follow the lives of young residents of this harsh social domain. The use of 'real' people to fill major roles in the movie is a piece of inspired cinema, with exact, mesmerising performances from the young stars. True, it is violent and very dark, but there are moments of black comedy that make this 'coming of age' tale highly watchable. It is as unpredictable as it is compelling and the film editing belongs in a masterclass of its own. Superb.