City of God (2002) Cidade de Deus (original title)

Directors:

Fernando Meirelles
Kátia Lund (co-director)

Writers:

Paulo Lins (novel)
Bráulio Mantovani (screenplay)

Release Date:

2002 (Russia)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

If you run you're dead...if you stay, you're dead again. Period.

Plot:

Two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro take different paths: one becomes a photographer, the other a drug dealer.

Plot Keywords:

City Of God | Photographer | Violence | Growing Up | 1960s

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 55 wins & 25 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Alexandre Rodrigues	...	Buscapé - Rocket
Leandro Firmino	...	Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé (as Leandro Firmino da Hora)
Phellipe Haagensen	...	Bené - Benny
Douglas Silva	...	Dadinho - Li'l Dice
Jonathan Haagensen	...	Cabeleira - Shaggy
Matheus Nachtergaele	...	Sandro Cenoura - Carrot
Seu Jorge	...	Mané Galinha - Knockout Ned
Jefechander Suplino	...	Alicate - Clipper
Alice Braga	...	Angélica
Emerson Gomes	...	Barbantinho - Stringy
Edson Oliveira	...	Barbantinho Adulto - Older Stringy
Michel de Souza	...	Bené Criança - Young Benny (as Michel De Souza Gomes)
Roberta Rodrigues	...	Berenice - Bernice
Luis Otávio	...	Buscapé Criança - Young Rocket
Maurício Marques	...	Cabeção - Melonhead

Also Known As:

"Cidade de Deus" - Brazil (original title)
"God's Town" - International (English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong brutal violence, sexuality, drug content and language.

Runtime:

130 min | Canada:135 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Brazil | France

Language:

Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 (video rating) (cut) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | South Korea:18 | Israel:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Brazil:16 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:III | Italy:T | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:R21 (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Cidade de Deus, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Company:

O2 Filmes

Trivia:

Voted movie of the year by Empire magazine in 2003. (It would be 6 years before another foreign language film tops the list: Let the Right One In (2008).)

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bené throws Neguinho out (after he, Neguinho, has killed his girl friend) the amount of blood on Bené's T-shirt changes

Quotes:

Zé Pequeno:[First lines] Get that chicken, dude!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cafundó (2005)

Soundtrack:

Metamorfose Ambulante

A film that stays embedded within the mind!

City of God from my point of view was a film like no other. Never have I seen a film that comes at you like a wave of hailstones that never loosens it's grip for a second. Bearing in mind that this was based on a true story one can't imagine the punches it pulls sparing nothing within it's grasp.

The film first begins somewhere in the mid eighties accompanied by some really cool edit shots of group of young outlaws chasing a helpless chicken through the suburbs of Rio, Brazil thus we stumble upon are very hero Rocket - aka Buscape, who is caught up in a two way stand off between the police and outlaws. Then we are whisked back to the 1960's as to how it all started. Then begins the narration to inform us (the viewer), through the humble beginnings of life in 1960's through to the present. We are first given the main characters Buscape, who bravely confesses that he wants to choose an honest life of becoming a creative photographer rather than ending up choosing a life of crime his older brother is engulfed in. After a night of holding up a motel, The Tender Trio begin to disband, leaving all but one to make a true start to living a decent life with the others to disappear but not without deadly consequences.

Flash forward a few years later and we see are main protagonist now at school and still maintaining an honest life but apart from truanting school, to enjoy life on the beach and determined to lose his virginity with right girl. Then it's not too long before we are introduced to a new set of hoodlums determined to own every piece of the neighbourhood and drug running business that starts pollute the whole slums. Thus ensues the long and violent tale of life in the hood.

The one thing that stands out so well in City of God is the photography, narration and above all razor sharp MTV style editing that flaws most films with their own styles.

Fernando Meirelles really does ram this film home and paints a really bleak image of Brazil the world is none to familiar with.

Now with this exploding on to the silver screens the world over this really does introduce the the new age of independent cinema, Hollywood certainly didn't see this once coming - shame on them.

Gracias Deus - Thank God 10/10