Cidade de Deus

Plot synopsis:
Taking place over the course of over two decades, City of God tells the story of Cidade de Deus (Portuguese for City of God), a lower class quarter west of Rio de Janeiro. The film is told from the viewpoint of a boy named Rocket (Busca pé in Portuguese) who grows up there as a fishmonger's son, and demonstrates the desperation and violence inherent in the slums. Based on a real story, the movie depicts drug abuse, violent crime, and a boy's struggle to free himself from the slums' grasp.The movie begins cinematically depicting chickens being prepared for a meal. A chicken escapes and as an armed gang chases after it bumps into Rocket who believes that the gang wants to kill him. The movie then flashes back ten years earlier, to tell the story of how he got himself into that position.Three "hoodlums", "The Tender Trio", one being Rocket's brother, Goose, are terrorizing local businesses with armed holdups. In Robin Hood fashion they split part of the loot with the citizens of City of God and are protected by them. Li'l Dice is a hanger-on who convinces them to hold up a motel and rob its occupants. Li'l Dice ("Dadinho" in Portuguese), serving as lookout, fires a warning shot, then proceeds to slaughter the inhabitants. The massacre brings on the attention of the police forcing the three to quit their criminal ways. Each meets an untimely end, except one who decides to join the church. Goose, Rocket's brother, is slain by Li'l Dice after robbing the younger boy and his friend Benny who have been hiding out and committing crimes themselves.The movie fast forwards a number of years. Li'l Dice now calls himself Li'l Zé ("Zé Pequeno" in Portuguese), and, along with his childhood friend Benny, he establishes a drug empire by eliminating all of the competition except for a drug dealer named Carrot ("Cenoura" in Portuguese). Meanwhile, Rocket has become a part of the "Groovies" a hippie-like group of youth that enjoy smoking pot. He begins his photography career shooting his friends, especially one girl that he is infatuated with, but who is dating another boy.A relative peace has come over City of God under the reign of Li'l Zé who plans to eliminate his last rival, Carrot, against the judgment of his best friend Benny, who is keeping the peace. At one point, his best friend and partner in crime Benny has decided to become a "playboy" and becomes the "coolest guy in City of God". Eventually, along with the girl that he has wooed away from Rocket, he decides to leave the criminal life behind to live on a farm. However, he is gunned down at his going away party by former drug dealer, Blackie, who is actually aiming for Li'l Zé. Benny was the only thing keeping Li'l Ze from taking over Carrot's business, so now Carrot is in danger.Li'l Zé humiliates a peace loving man Knockout Ned at the party and afterwards rapes his girlfriend and kills Ned's uncle and younger brother. Ned turns violent and sides with Carrot. After killing one of Li'l Ze's men, Ned starts a war between the two rival factions that creates a "Vietnam" of City of God. Jealous of Ned's notoriety in the newspapers, Li'l Zé has Rocket take photos of himself and his gang which, unknown to Rocket, are taken by a reporter and published in the daily paper. Rocket then mistakenly fears for his life believing that Li'l Zé will want to kill him for it. In actuality, Li'l Zé is pleased with his newfound fame.Coming full circle, Rocket is startled by Li'l Zé's request that he take a picture of the gang which had been chasing the chicken at the beginning of the film. Before he can, however, a gunfight ensues between the two gangs, but is broken up by the police. Ned is killed by a boy who has infiltrated his gang to avenge his father, who was killed by Ned during a bank robbery. Li'l Zé and Carrot are arrested and Carrot is taken away to be shown to the press. Li'l Zé is shaken down for money, humiliated and finally released, all of which is secretly photographed by Rocket. After the cops leave, the Runts (a gang of young children who robbed and terrorized the local merchants) come upon Li'l Zé and shoot and kill him in retribution for him killing one of their gang earlier in the film. Rocket takes pictures of Li'l Zé's dead body and goes to the newspaper.Rocket is seen in the newspaper office looking at all of his photographs through a magnifying glass, and deciding whether or not to put the pictures of the crooked cops in the newspaper, or the picture of Ze's dead body. The photos of the cops would make him famous but put him in danger, while the photos of Li'l Zé would guarantee him a job at the paper. He decides to take the safe route and gives the paper the picture of Li'l Zé's bullet-ridden body, which runs on the front page.The story ends with the Runts walking around the City of God, making a hit list of the dealers they plan to kill to take over their drug business.

Tags: comedy, dark, neo noir, murder, depressing, realism, mystery, dramatic, cult, violence, atmospheric, flashback, good versus evil, romantic, tragedy, revenge, storytelling

Review:
It simply is, in my opinion, one of the best contemporary films ever made.Based on true events and characters who live in the overlooked and poverty stricken slums in the shadows of Rio de Janiero, where life expectancy doesn't reach the 30's and drug dealers are kings.The tale of the City of God, and its myriad of characters is told by Rocket, a young man who struggles to make something of his life, other than to wind up another victim of drugs or gang wars.Not only are the characters in City of God absolutely fascinating, and also very endearing, but also convincingly acted by groups of young and unknown actors.
The film revolves around the, 'City of God,' a favela (or ghetto) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a horrifying area where drug dealers run the community, and where children killing children is not an uncommon occurrence.
Rocket's dream is to become a photographer and to escape the City of God while Lil Ze becomes a powerful gang leader and drug dealer.The film offers an unflinching look at gang life in the City of God, as it follows the favela through three decades; the 60's, 70's and 80's, and shows how violence just spirals into more violence with the disturbingly high amounts of violence in the favela, most involving teenagers and children.
The editing is very frantic, which makes you feel like you are on the streets of the City of God, and the direction is flawless, seamlessly blending the many elements of the story.The film was definitely one of the best films I have ever seen.
From our narrator Buscape / Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) whose ticket out of the slum is his love of photography over to people like laidback Bene / Benny (Philippe Haagensen), followed by Ze's fierce rival Cenoura / Carrot (Matheus Nachtergaele) or good guy turned bad (although it's not so simple) Mane Galinha / Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge) we see a multidimensional, pulsating, alive community that seems in need of a strong, sustained outside push to finally stop chasing its own tail and get out of this destructive cycle..
The film, directed by Fernando Meirelles, tells the story of life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, in an area known as the Cidade De Deus, the City of God.
This technique is used heavily in the first twenty minutes of Cidade De Deus, with the freeze frame trick being used to introduce the story's main characters alongside the dialogue of narrator, Rocket.Throughout the film one cannot help but watch a scene and think, 'I've seen that in Raging Bull, Goodfellas, or Casino', and this may make some look less favourably on the film's direction.
But simply, Cidade De Deus is a perfect film for avid fans of cinematography, and those just in search of two hours of a bloody good story.I cannot decide yet if I would consider this better than Amores Perros, but it is certainly not inferior.
Amores Perros triumphs in creating relationships between the audience and the characters, as it concentrates for a long time on relatively few people, each of whom we grow to know and ultimately care about, which is important for the emotional impact of the film.
Actually, it's probably just about one of the best films I had ever seen.The characters really make this movie come alive with each of their compelling personalities shining though in the backdrop of oppressive conditions and constant violence.
The violence hits you in the chest like a load of bricks sometimes, especially when you recognize that many of the kids involved in the violence are right around 10 or 11, but you also realize that this reflects the culture of the slum these kids live in.Gangster films always seem to make for good dramas (e.g. the Godfather, Goodfellas), where the culture of evil almost always triumphs as the dominant character.
It also shows the bravery of many of these people when even the government won't stick up for them.If you're thinking of starting to watch some foreign language films, this is a good place to start.
Wow, this is one of those different movies - meaning not run-of-mill by any means - and one of those which isn't pleasant to watch but one you might find yourself mesmerized by it.This also is one of those "based on a true story" films which makes it even more shocking, if its mostly true.
No one is older than 25, partly because of choice, but mainly because no one lives past this age.On the surface, in this context, City of God is a coming of age story of two young people, a sort of Brazilian "Angels With Dirty Faces.' One character escapes from the City of God, while the other succumbs to it.But when one scratches beneath, one finds the film a comment on the morally bankrupt City of God in Rio De Janeiro, and a mirror on Brazil itself.
Far away from the party hopping, Travel and Leisure postcard perfect white beaches, is another world, one of marauding bands of displaced children.The most surprising thing about City of God is its references to American films.
Then, a teenager called Buscapé (Alexandre Rodrigues) tells the story of the Cidade de Deus and the main characters of the movie (Zé Pequeno, Bené, Cenoura etc.), since they were kids.
When he is in his late teens/early twenties, he goes to work delivering newspapers, when one of his photographs of the slum gang boss is discovered and published without his permission, putting his life in danger, but beginning his professional career.There are so many reasons why 'City of God' is compelling, but besides its stylish and flashy cinematography and brutally realistic script, the pacing of the film is unrelenting.
Of course, since I had no idea it was based on real events, 'City of God' became that much more intriguing, especially when, during the closing credits we see actual news footage of some of the primary characters, and we can see how closely the film mirrored actual events.With a film like 'City of God' it is nearly impossible to convey why it is an excellent film because it is just seamless and well done in so many ways.All I can do is recommend the film to pretty much anyone who is looking for a good story and a great presentation.
In 'Cidade de Deus' we follow some dirt poor kids who live as brutal gangsters in a shanty town part of the Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro.
Most of the times when something really awful happens in the story, like children becoming killers or getting killed, it's rapidly followed by some non-emotional scene with some cool music and flashy editing.
There's no grieving for the victims, the movie is over 2 hours long & the director spends about 30 seconds of that time showing family members shattered by this unnecessary loss of life, which means there's no depiction of the deep sorrow & hopelessness that extreme poverty & violence creates.
I rate it 5/10 for the cinematography & editing and for showing a small piece of a harsh reality without blinders, but for me it felt more like an ordinary action movie than an epic masterpiece..
But the manipulation of at least three hand-held cameras, the constant sound of samba and the relapses of the story, together with the sheer vivacity of the original dialogues (mind you, I do mean the original, extremely nuanced Rio favela-slang Portuguese dialogues!!) make the movie possible to be watched without post-traumatic-stress.
But it is its own unique film.It is based on a true story of one boys desperate attempt to survive and escape the city of god (the slums of Rio de Janeiro) a truly brutal and violent place.
All of the amateur actors were recruited from Favelas (slums) in Rio de Janeiro, and a couple of them actually lived in the Cidade de Deus (City of God) itself .
The movie is produced by Walter Salles , the best director and production manager from Brazil .The film is rated ¨R¨ for crude murders and sex and isn't apt for boys , only for old people (+18) , neither squeamish.
Great, he has the moral character of a robot, real inspiring.I also noticed that its one of those "based on a true story" films, like that is supposed to make us think.
The way that Fernando Meirelles used to capture and describe the harsh reality of Brazilian slums and, via a special embodiment , was able to transpire the difficulty that young people have to disconnect from the criminal environment surrounding them and all the corruption and urban warfare that exists in Brazil today .Fantastic cast, could not have been better chosen .Maybe if this movie was spoken in English language, it might have been further recognized.Congratulations to all involved and keep up the good work to producers and director..
The one great scene in this movie (where Lil Dice shoots one of the "runts" in the foot, then forces another young kid to decide which of the two "runts" to kill) is devastatingly effective because it doesn't use any crap film tricks at all.
Copying Tarantino's style of putting little titles up for each segment, he seems to utterly forget what story he's telling, jumping around from character to character, and even short flashback loops like the whole "apartment" sequence that he seems to think build dramatic tension whereas all they really do is shout "hey, look at how cool this narrative technique is!" It might be cooler if we hadn't seen the same "Lil Dice takes over another dealer's turf" sequences so many other places.
It only detracts from the story, making the characters all the less believable.It seems like the subject matter (i.e. the horrible conditions under which these kids live - and the fact that it's foreign) has influenced viewers into thinking that the film is somehow better than it actually is.
I felt like I should have been utterly horrified by the scenes portrayed, yet it came across as not credible or realistic.City of God is certainly not a bad film, and it did have some moments of genuine truth and power, most notably in interactions with various girlfriends.My overall impression of the movie: - a noble and decent attempt at movie realism in that "cinema verite" style that does not succeed due to the lack of skill of both the director and the actors.
I'm sure many viewers feel the same way due to the absolute brutality of their slums where the police do little to interfere with gangs who run it.FYI--there's an excellent and sobering documentary on the Criterion DVD of this movie about the drug problem in Rio in the present day.
It's the combination of an objective style, fast filming, a great soundtrack and the chocking story that made "Cidade de Deus" a revolutionary movie.Although the events are tragic, don't expect a melodramatic story.
Although we are confronted with violence on TV every day when we watch the news, the fact that kids are involved in this kind of gang life is really chocking.Although I really liked this movie, I think it's highly overrated.
That film is a tragedy, this one is a tragedy of such extreme proportions that you know nothing can save the people---especially the innocent---in the city of God. Judging by how popular the movie is with audiences worldwide, I'm in the minority here.
Being based on a true story, having lots of non-actors, making some very imaginative choices in cinematography, and so forth, this film really throws a lot of stuff at you, and it is impressive in its ability to keep a great many plates spinning in the air (although to tell the truth, if the narrator had said "but it's not time to tell So-and-so's story yet" just one more time, I would have screamed).Unfortunately, the next day when you look back on the experience, you realize that all you really got was a couple of hours worth of just another gangland storyline with a little too much Guy-Ritchie-influenced camera work and more than a few this-will-get-them-talking shock cinema moments.Original grade: 6 out of 10.
We follow his story from a child through the 60's and 70's in the slums where he is witness as children Lil' Dice and Bene grow up to become the heads of the gangs, using violence and murder to increase their power.I had missed this in the ONE art cinema in the city I live in and had to wait for the DVD to come out.
City of God has two main characters: Rocket and Lil Ze; the movie uses these characters to show that there are different ways to escape the ghetto.
The movie shows the events that each character has gone through to come to a decision point that could change his life from that day on.City of God borrows a lot of the ideas and techniques from American films.
More praise: I think City of God possibly has the best cinematography I have ever seen in a movie.
All the while it truly felt as though you were there, but desperately wanted to get away from the madness.However, it may feel, at times, somewhat like an orgy of drugs and guns or mindless glorification of street violence to appeal to teen audiences.But then I realised the violence is not gratuitous because City of God is about violence (duh, I know) and it condemns it in many ways, such as making out the protagonist non-violent and aspiring to a better life, and getting us to sympathise with him more than anyone else..
The action of the movie is placed in the rough hoods in Rio and presents the hard life there or how the narrator says:"City of Gods has nothing to do with the Rio De Janeiro you see in postcards" It has everything-love,war,revenge,crime,funny.The movie can be seen in two opposite ways- of the child who wants to escape from the rough world and of the rest of the children from there who think the only place to make something in life is there.
it's not derivative at all, but it certainly makes you compare elements to the all-time greats of entertainment.you hope for closure for our young photographer narrator but never quite get it, coming to the realization that this City of God is truly the Land of the Damned, even today subject to profound political corruption and gang violence.
This movie deserves all the credit it gets and some, and I hope that the situation that this story follows, one day, will no longer exist: life of violence, drugs, and death..
However, having had a week or so to reflect on the movie I don't think I will be quite so generous.CITY OF GOD has many good points: the directing, the acting, the locations, the interesting storyline.
If you like action or gangster movies then this is the film to see.7/10.
Imagine what it would have been like if Tarantino made a film about the D.C. area sniper shootings, then you'll get "City of God" - a sensational, cold and calculated stylistic exercise based on compelling real-life human drama.
Some may consider the film to be too violent, but I think the violence is needed to realistically portrait the hard life in the City of God, or any other slum where drug cartels are present.
The raw directing style, coupled with a great soundtrack makes for a movie which many different kinds of people can enjoy.
The raw directing style, coupled with a great soundtrack makes for a movie which many different kinds of people can enjoy.
I know that sounds weird, but I'm not kidding this movie is so disturbing and shocking, but its vibrant visual style made it impossible to look away from.Like the visuals and colors, the soundtrack is so vivid and dynamic to mirror the vicious cycle of violence in the eponymous city, and the slums of Rio de Janiero.That being said, City of God's exhilarating visuals and soundtrack aren't the only, nor even the main two reasons that made it unbelievably engrossing.
City of God tells the true story of a young Brazilian boy growing up in Rio debJaneiro and his attempts to avoid the local gangs.
'City of God' or 'Cidade de Deus' is one of the most realistic and brutal gangster films I have ever seen and without question one of the best foreign language films ever made.
Set in the slums of Rio, it gives an shocking account of gang culture in a city where crime and violence is the natural path for most young people growing up in deprived communities.The way in which the story is told, from Rocket's perspective, contributes enormously to the film.
The narration, combined with the realistic storyline and characters, means 'City of God' plays more like a documentary than a crime/drama film adapted from a novel.
I have not seen a gangster movie with the level of nuance and attitude as City of God. All the of the characters are wonderfully developed and all have their own identity to add to the message of the film.
Only true circumstances in life can generate a tale as the one depicted in City Of God. The simple fact that this was a true story makes this movie even more dumbfounding and astonishing at the same time.
And I say "world" and not city because when you are watching this movie, it doesn't even seem like a real place in our world.
City of God is a necessary film not only for movie lovers, but to all who wish to improve their social conscience and try to better understand the society we live in..
"City of God" is a quite brilliant film that portrays three decades - the 1960s, the 1970s and the 1980s - of child and adult drugs gang warfare in the slums (favelas) outside Rio de Janeiro.