*SPOILERS* Mini Film Review

Rating: 8/10 (7 October 2019)

The City of God overall told a good story, with great cinematography. From the use of angles, lighting, acting and the shots, this film was made by very skilled directors. Some of the most prominent angles and shots in the film are those taken from Rocket's camera. We can see the shots of Lil' Ze's gang from Rocket's camera, which is significant to the plot line, but also shows the gang in a light of power. With his camera, Rocket is able to see gang members, their weapons and gain access to their hideaway, which makes his camera such a crucial part of the film. Rocket's camera also gives us images of the cops letting Lil' Ze go through the angle of a patterned window. The most significant camera angle in the movie has to be the very end when the runts shoot Lil' Ze. While this is foreshadowed in earlier in the movie, the viewers actually see the damage the runts did. When Rocket captures these images of Lil' Ze on the ground, it shows him at a low angle and a canted angle. The low angle signifies that Lil' Ze is no longer in power and the canted angle shows Lil' Ze's disturbed personality and the mess he created.
The use of flashbacks is also crucial to the story. The audience begins watching the film with a chicken running in the streets. Viewers see a boy stranded between a gang with guns and cops with guns. Here, the audience learns about the narrator and main character of the story. At this point, we can see where the entire story begins through Rocket's flashbacks. Flashbacks are critical in this film because of the way Rocket tells the story. He gives a hint to specific characters and how they will enter the story, as well as how many of the characters crossed paths before the town breaks out in a war. The flashback is used again when Lil' Dice sees his brother fleeing town. When Lil' Dice's brother demands Lil' Dice give him some money, we see Lil' Dice's first act of power. The flashback shows Lil' Dice at a high angle to show Lil' Dice in a position of power over his brother. The film shows Lil' Dice pointing a gun at the camera, showing the last view of Lil' Dice's brother. This scene in particular seems ironic because it is an open frame shot, yet Lil Dice has his brother trapped under the power of his gun. The contrast of power in this scene shows the beginning of Lil Dice's sociopathic, power-hungry life.
During Benny's farewell party, it's clear that Lil' Ze is jealous when Benny hugs Rocket. When Lil' Ze pushes Rocket to the ground to keep him away from Benny, he is shown at a high angle. Lil' Ze looks down on Rocket to show that he is full of power. Right after this act of anger, the strobe lights come on. Lighting is important because the strobe light makes it visually difficult for the viewer to see what's happening between the characters. It adds some suspense to the scene and the music in the club changes from laid back to more intense dance music. The audience can see that Blacky is hiding in a circle of people and then throughout the few strobes that he took out his gun and fired it. With more strobes, the audience sees Benny fall to the ground and then hears diegetic screams and the music goes silent.