The true story that “City of God” is based upon is one riddled with corruption and violence. This film delves into the underworld of Brazil, a place where most don’t survive past their youth. Under the direction of Fernando Meirelles, the film exploits what lies beneath the beauty and tourism of Rio de Janiero.
The film takes place in the City of God, deceivingly named seeing as the city is one of the worst slums of Rio de Janiero. Filth dominates the setting, giving the true appearance of absolute desolation. This turns Brazil from paradise into hell. The eerie high key lighting of night and the almost frantic speed of shots during some sequences only further exaggerate this pure hell.
While Braulio Mantorami’s screenplay for “City of God” (adapted from Paulo Lins’s novel of the same name) is beautiful, the most impact comes from the characters in the movie. It is important to take into account that the film is in Portuguese. As such, all of the dialogue has been translated. Oftentimes, something important is lost in translation, but in “City of God,” the script retains its beauty and grace. The film is narrated by Rocket, whose real name, exposed at the conclusion of the film, is Wilson Rodrigues. Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) tells the story with a series of flashbacks of his life and the lives of others. Every few minutes, the story changes with a freeze frame, jumping around in order to explain each character’s background – something essential to the viewer’s ability to comprehend the film.
Ultimately, the film is about a terrible favela of Rio de Janeiro. It is filled with drugs, death, and hardly any hope to escape. The protagonist (Rocket) wishes nothing else but to become a photographer and escape from the City of God. Unfortunately, the conditions in the City make that nearly impossible. Still, he doesn’t give up and, more importantly, he doesn’t give in to the world of drugs and “hoodlums.”
The use of flashbacks to tell the story is a fascinating approach. It gives the ability to jump around in time without confusion. The movie begins dramatically with rapid-fire shots of one gang chasing after a chicken. After this opening sequence, Rocket narrates the story into one flashback after another. The film montages through the life of one apartment always used to sell drugs and passing from one person to another with odd rapidity. It also speeds up, explaining all the while, how exactly the rule of gangs became so predominant in the City of God. Rocket starts by giving narrative background on each character, then talking the way through their life story. After each character is explained, it switches with a freeze frame and continued narration. The presence of flashbacks also allow scenes to be seen multiple times from different points of view. Although it sounds as though it would be difficult to follow, the film makes itself crystal clear.
After one hour and fifty-two minutes, the film finally catches up to where it began. At this point, the fact that the film is based on a true story begins to dawn. The cast and the acting in the movie made this reality even more poignant. Except for the character Carrot (a leader of one of the two gangs, played by Matheus Nachtergaele), none of the actors in the movie were known. Instead of hiring famous Brazilian actors, the actors came straight from the favelas of Rio. Some even came from the City of God. When these people act, it is astounding. The actors aren’t just playing roles in somebody else’s story. They are reliving parts of their lives, parts of their histories. The impact is immeasurable.
One of the most obvious and jarring aspects of this film is the sound. Throughout most of the film, there isn’t much in terms of background music. As such, when there is music (thanks to Ed Cortes and Antonio Pinto), it is carefully chosen and placed to fit the setting and plot perfectly. The most important sound in the film is the diegetic sound. In this film, that is mostly made up of gunshot. This focus on one sound creates the feeling that this extreme violence - this absolute chaos and corruption - is the norm for people living in the City of God.
As the story of Rocket and his time in the City of God winds down, so does the war between gangs. With his photography, Rocket is able to document what no other person could possibly have documented. The end of the war in the City of God finally freed Rocket from his prison.
The film takes place in the City of God, deceivingly named seeing as the city is one of the worst slums of Rio de Janiero. Filth dominates the setting, giving the true appearance of absolute desolation. This turns Brazil from paradise into hell. The eerie high key lighting of night and the almost frantic speed of shots during some sequences only further exaggerate this pure hell.
While Braulio Mantorami’s screenplay for “City of God” (adapted from Paulo Lins’s novel of the same name) is beautiful, the most impact comes from the characters in the movie. It is important to take into account that the film is in Portuguese. As such, all of the dialogue has been translated. Oftentimes, something important is lost in translation, but in “City of God,” the script retains its beauty and grace. The film is narrated by Rocket, whose real name, exposed at the conclusion of the film, is Wilson Rodrigues. Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) tells the story with a series of flashbacks of his life and the lives of others. Every few minutes, the story changes with a freeze frame, jumping around in order to explain each character’s background – something essential to the viewer’s ability to comprehend the film.
Ultimately, the film is about a terrible favela of Rio de Janeiro. It is filled with drugs, death, and hardly any hope to escape. The protagonist (Rocket) wishes nothing else but to become a photographer and escape from the City of God. Unfortunately, the conditions in the City make that nearly impossible. Still, he doesn’t give up and, more importantly, he doesn’t give in to the world of drugs and “hoodlums.”
The use of flashbacks to tell the story is a fascinating approach. It gives the ability to jump around in time without confusion. The movie begins dramatically with rapid-fire shots of one gang chasing after a chicken. After this opening sequence, Rocket narrates the story into one flashback after another. The film montages through the life of one apartment always used to sell drugs and passing from one person to another with odd rapidity. It also speeds up, explaining all the while, how exactly the rule of gangs became so predominant in the City of God. Rocket starts by giving narrative background on each character, then talking the way through their life story. After each character is explained, it switches with a freeze frame and continued narration. The presence of flashbacks also allow scenes to be seen multiple times from different points of view. Although it sounds as though it would be difficult to follow, the film makes itself crystal clear.
After one hour and fifty-two minutes, the film finally catches up to where it began. At this point, the fact that the film is based on a true story begins to dawn. The cast and the acting in the movie made this reality even more poignant. Except for the character Carrot (a leader of one of the two gangs, played by Matheus Nachtergaele), none of the actors in the movie were known. Instead of hiring famous Brazilian actors, the actors came straight from the favelas of Rio. Some even came from the City of God. When these people act, it is astounding. The actors aren’t just playing roles in somebody else’s story. They are reliving parts of their lives, parts of their histories. The impact is immeasurable.
One of the most obvious and jarring aspects of this film is the sound. Throughout most of the film, there isn’t much in terms of background music. As such, when there is music (thanks to Ed Cortes and Antonio Pinto), it is carefully chosen and placed to fit the setting and plot perfectly. The most important sound in the film is the diegetic sound. In this film, that is mostly made up of gunshot. This focus on one sound creates the feeling that this extreme violence - this absolute chaos and corruption - is the norm for people living in the City of God.
As the story of Rocket and his time in the City of God winds down, so does the war between gangs. With his photography, Rocket is able to document what no other person could possibly have documented. The end of the war in the City of God finally freed Rocket from his prison.
1 comment:
Kate: nice job keeping the summary to a minimum. Your review was really good and made me want to see City of God!
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