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City
of God, 2003, 130 minutes, Rated R
By Ramona Prioleau
Based
on the eye-opening novel of the same name, City of God
masterfully depicts the hard scrabble existence in the Cidade de Deus
favela, a drug-infested housing project on the outskirts of Rio de
Janeiro.
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With
great care, director Fernando Meirelles creates a breathtaking world
fraught with internecine strife where innocent lives are cut short,
the wicked rule without remorse and a healthy dose of trepidation
saves souls. MORE >>>
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© 2003 Miramax Films
A
scene from Fernando Meirelles’ City of God
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From
its opening montage, the film enthralls with symbolic images of a
tethered chicken demonstrating the wherewithal to escape the fate of
others lacking the wit to flee an environment boiling over with
violence. The visual impact of such an introduction to City of God
sets the tone of the film that for over 2 hours artfully contrasts the
decisions made by one who uses his gifts to devise a way out of the
slum and those that succumb to the lure of the favela's most lucrative
enterprise.
City is based on a novel that has 352
characters and 100 different stories that trace the proliferation of
crime within the favela. To maintain the essence of the bestseller,
Meirelles incorporated a myriad of characters into his film. And while
choosing to dramatize City's plot with such a large cast and
multiple story lines could have proven disjointed, Meirelles expertly
produces a cinematic experience that weaves together the disparate
lives of the dwellers and dealers who coexist in a down-trodden
neighborhood ignored by the Brazilian social elite.
City's talented cast of ingénues and
veterans enrich the film with their raw, passionate and insightful
performances that impress long after a scene fades to black. However,
the film's featured newcomers Alexandre Rodrigues as Rocket and
Leandro Firmino da Hora as Lil Ze shine most brightly. In fact, it's
the juxtaposed journeys of the two teenagers that propel the film's
narrative. Even though Lil Ze, a callous criminal who kills as easily
as he smirks, overshadows the more righteous Rocket who lacks the
heart for the thug life, it is in comparisons of the forces that
combine to create the Lil Zes and Rockets of the world that the story
has its greatest impact. MORE >>>
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© 2003 Miramax Films
Alexandre
Rodrigues as Rocket in City of God
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In
one of the film's most compelling thematic
contrasts, both Rocket and Lil Ze choose to shoot their way out of the
favela. But where Lil Ze brandishes a firearm to thwart those that
threaten his dominion, Rocket picks up a camera and provides an
insiders view of the favela to the outside world.
Despite a story that is told from the viewpoints of
those inside the favela, the film doesn't ignore the exasperating
affect outside forces have upon the favela's squalid condition.
Although less central to the main narrative, the governmental neglect
that shapes destinies of favela dwellers; the middle class drug usage
that bolsters demand for narcotics; and the police corruption that
facilitates drug usage and gang warfare are not spared the director's
focus. In doing so, Meirelles establishes City as not only a
well-produced gangland drama, but also an insightful social commentary
on the multi-layered nature of the breakdown of societal mores.
M
February 2004
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