City of God
February 23rd, 2006
Filed Under: Reviews, movies
I just saw this film the other week for the first time and I was blown away (no pun intended) by it’s cinematography and depth of story. Taking place mainly in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, the movie offers a glimpse into the painful reality of that city’s poor class struggle to survive and follows Rocket and Lil ‘Ze who, two sides of the same coin, are trying to rise above their environment. This is an excellent movie and if you haven’t seen it yet then you need to make that your next movie rental choice.
Though I wanted to see this film in the theater when it debuted in North America, in a way I’m glad I saw it on DVD because immediately after I watched the 90-minute extra that followed and that just put an even stronger emphasis on the themes of the film. Basically, it showcased the different perspectives between police, politicians, the poor class, and it’s gangsters regarding the escalating violence in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. The chronicle of it’s current gang wars is grim and the documentary proves why it’s hard to ignore society’s issues of wealth disparities.
I found this kool interactive City of God website (I think it’s Japanese) that is just a stunning piece of graphic design work in relation to the film.
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4 STARS out of Four.
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If anyone else has seen this film I’m definitely curious what your initial thoughts were about it.
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2 Responses to “City of God”
gabe
I saw city of god 2 years ago and used the movie as a vehicle to open discussions about gangs. A majority of the kids I deal with are members of the bloods gang. They thought gangs are only in their hoods. Powerful but sad movie about the lives of ghetto children world wide.
joe, hope all is well.
Monkey Nutz
I must agree, after a long wait for the ONE copy to be returned to Blockbuster, I saw a film that was incredible. Incredible because it gave a poignant look into brutal underbelly of gang life through it’s striking cinematography and acting, by telling a story without the glorification of the lifestyle. And you viewed their story, through the eyes of all of those affected by this life.
4 out of 4 definitely, and should be on everyone’s buy list.
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