Cidade de Deus/City of God

Movie Name: Cidade de Deus

Year of Release: 2002

Director: Fernando Meirelles (Kátia Lund)

Stars: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, Matheus Nachtergaele, Seu Jorge, Alice Braga, Emerson Gomes, Edson Oliveira, Roberta Rodrigues, Luis Otávio, Maurício Marques

Genre: Crime, Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis:

Following a career directing commercials and documentary films, director Fernando Meirelles really made a name for himself with the well received "Cidade de Deus/City of God". The film follows the story of the crime proliferation at the favelas that surround Rio de Janeiro's cosmopolitan area. The film specifically follows the dual story of the narrator, the young Buscapé, and the criminal Zé Pequeno. We witness Buscapé growing up, and simultaneously we view the evolution of the criminal life of the favela through his eyes, all the while managing to stay away from it, and finding a job as a photographer for one of the big newspapers of the city. We also witness the ruthlessness and increase in violence that Zé Pequeno embarks on, with this thirst to dominate the crime world of the favelas, and how it touches so many other groups within that society.
What is so interesting about Fernando Meirelles' work is the fact that the director has a stylistic and aesthetic point of view that is strong and shaped by his previous career as a commercials and documentary features director. There's a definite aesthetic perspective, that is married with this urgency to keep stories rooted in reality and capturing the immediacy of what surrounds the characters. "Cidade de Deus" manages to perfectly capture the evolution of life in the favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro from the 70s onwards, showcasing the altering habits, but also how characters get progressively influenced by the surrounding environments, while others manage to rise above and seek new opportunities. It's a film that is filled with energy, intelligence, heart and a sensuality, something that permeates the events and characters of the entire film. It's a snapshot of a part of the Brazilian society, that while focused on specific events of a particular area, also allows us viewers, to have a perspective to the evolution of life in one of the biggest cities of South America. It's a fantastic film, one that propelled Fernando Meirelles to more ambitious and visible projects (something he's still pursuing with uneven results, from the great "The Constant Gardener" to the mediocre "360"). Definitely worth watching.