Fernando Meirelles stunning directorial debut takes us through three decades in the life of this real life slum, as seen through the eyes of Rocket, a poor black kid too scared to embark on a life of crime, but too bright to accept his lot.
Through him we follow the rise and fall of his friends and enemies as they struggle to survive. In particular, the film charts the spectacular ascent of L’il Dice from pre-pubescent murderer to city ganglord.
As Rocket battles against fate to stay on the right side of the law, L’il Dice revels in the power of the gun. What starts as something to do to relieve the boredom rapidly becomes a way of life when he discovers it’s the quickest way to win respect and become a man.
But once he’s won that respect the only way to keep it is to carry on killing. One of the film’s most disturbing aspects is the casual attitude to violent death – L’il Dice isn’t the only child who executes gang rivals with the same amount of thought we give to changing our socks.
CITY OF GOD is a bleak, disturbing film, but not without hope or flashes of humour. After watching a newspaper photographer in action at a murder scene, Rocket decides that’s what he wants to do, and he sets about realizing that dream by delivering the papers he hopes one day will print his pictures.
Shot on location in and around the actual City of God, Meirelles has created what big budget American movies like "Traffic" failed to achieve – a genuine sense of realism. There are no big name stars hogging the screen desperate to showcase their acting chops here. Most of the cast were discovered in the slum’s community centers and required little coaching to learn their parts.
Powerful, moving, and emotionally draining, the Rio Convention and Visitors Bureau certainly won’t be a fan of this sprawling epic, but you will.
No comments:
Post a Comment