City of God (Cidade de Deus) ***1/2
Directed By: Fernando Meirelles Written By: Bráulio Mantovani Music By: Ed Cortês and Antonio Pinto
Sandro "Carrot" Cenoura: Matheus Nachtergaele Mane "Knockout Ned" Galinha: Seu Jorge Buscape "Rocket": Alexandre Rodrigues Ze "L'il Ze" Pequeno: Leandro Firmino da Hora Bene "Benny": Philippe Haagensen Angelica: Alice Braga
Running Time: 2:10 Rated R (for strong brutal violence, sexuality, drug content and language.)
Review By: Michael J. Gold
Based on the novel by Paulo Lins, City of God tells the story of gang life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Lins grew up in the City of God and claims that he based his book, at least partly, on the life on photographer Wilson Rodriguez
As the film opens a gang leader, L'il Ze (Leandro Firmino da Hora), is hosting a picnic when one of the chickens escapes. The gang chases after the chicken until it is between them and Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues). The gang leader yells out to Rocket to grab the chicken, but Rocket is frozen in fear apparently at the sight of the armed gang. Just then the police pull up and drawn their guns and Rocket is caught standing between the two.
The majority of the movie is shot as a flashback explaining who all the characters are and telling each of their own individual stories. Indeed, some of the brilliance of City of God is it ability to introduce new characters and then tell us that it is not quite time to tell that characters story yet. These moments often times help to break the tension of a very violent and unforgiving part of the world.
L'il Ze is the main gangster in this part of town. At eighteen he is slightly more than a child himself and yet he rules over a gang of even younger children who make their money through selling drugs. Ze is adamant about maintaining peace in his town, because he knows that a safe town will keep the police, whom L'il Ze pays off, out of the way and allow the people from the better parts of Rio de Janeiro to come into the City of God to buy their drugs.
Carrot (Matheus Nachtergaele) is L'il Ze's main rival and his gang of children not only sells drugs to make their money, but also robs anyone and everyone whenever they wish. This infuriates L'il Ze who goes after Carrot, which eventually escalates into an all out gang war.
The violence depicted here, typically children upon other children, is harsh and unblinking. The gangs kill with impunity, sometimes over perceived wrongs and sometimes simply because a person talks too much. There is a particularly vicious and painful scene involving two young children that is beyond distressing and yet resoundingly shows the evil that this sort of hopeless desperation can create.
City of God is not a film that was meant to be enjoyed; it is not light entertainment. City of God is more of a wake up call for society and the need for reform in the slums of not only Brazil, but in all countries all over the world. To continue to ignore the inner city problem is to allow the gangs and the violence to continue.
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