Cidade de Deus - Brutal... and Effective

CIDADE DE DEUS

Year: 2002.

Country: Brazil.

Alternative Title: City of God.

Director: Fernando Meirelles, co-directed by Katia Lund.

If you run it will get you. If you stay it will eat you.

Introduction

A Brazilian favela (slum settlement) was not a happy place to live in. It was impoverishment personified and was a picture of violence and chaos. Drugs, rackets, mobs, gang wars and the like were the order of the day. And the fact that it housed an eclectic collection of people didn’t help. Numerous favelas were found clustered in and around Rio De Janiero. And it is in one such favela that our story begins.

(The movie is a recount of events that transpired in the ‘City of God’ during the 60s and 70s. It is an adaptation of Paulo Lins’ novel of the same name. Lins was an actual resident of the favela in question.)

Story

‘Cidade de Deus’ is a foray into life in a typical favela. It commences with an amateurish trio stealing from more affluent sources, proceeds to depict a little tyke’s metamorphosis into a notorious gang leader and culminates in a fierce gang war. The movie can be considered a biographical presentation of Lil’ Ze’s life, his rise to fame as an ruthless gangster and his disputes with rival gang lords like Carrot, and Knockout Ned. Interlaced at critical junctures, are shorter stories that play significant roles in contributing to the overall story.

The narrative is set to the voice of Rocket, who despite hailing from the favela, chose to tread on the rarely walked path of non-violence. Within minutes of its commencement, the movie shifts into flashback mode, as it describes the elements and events that have made the favela what it is today. The movie is divided into a number of shorter sub-segments, each with a seemingly trivial name. However, and to the director’s credit, these segments are sequenced quite effectively.

Characterization

To suggest that the film abounds in characters would be an understatement. Characters come and go in a flash, and they are interwoven so intricately around the story that sometimes the viewer is left wondering who’s who. The movie literally teems with characters who are introduced concurrently. Thankfully, most of them are pretty well defined and such strong characterization is one of the film’s fortes.

It would be really futile to attempt to describe ALL the artists who performed in the movie. Leandro Firmino as Lil’ Ze looks every inch a gangster. As a tyrannical leader, Firmino does tend to overact at some instances but for the most part of the movie, he skillfully portrays a man with unmatched arrogance and desire for power. Alexandre Rodriguez as Rocket has no solid role except for that of the narrator and is comprehensively overshadowed by Lil’ Ze and the others. But with what little scope the character offers, Rodriguez churns out a convincing performance. Other notable characters include Carrot (Matheus Nachtergaele) and Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge).
Perhaps the greatest character is the capricious city itself. On some occasions it is festive, and during others, it is a warpath, with casualties reaching all time highs and bodies strewn on every street. Ironically, the city is so alive when wars occur and deaths are frequent. Even more ironical is the fact that the place is named ‘City of God’… would God want to live here?

Screenplay, Cinematography and Background Score

The powerful storyline is accompanied by equally riveting screenplay and cinematography. The dialogues are kept simple but they have a resounding effect on the viewer. The tangential takes and flashback may seem a bit confounding, but they complement each other aptly. The camera seems to be handled consummately, in all scenes, without any discrimination. The accompanying music is pretty alluring and it perfectly matches the mood the movie takes at any given moment. The background score at Benny’s farewell merits special mention.

Personal Opinion/Discussion (Heavy Spoilers)

I liked the movie predominantly for a single reason. It was honest, brutally so. I expected a toned down version of events that transpired in the favela. What I did see, was an in-your-face presentation that is as close as one can get to the real thing.

The movie also portrays the contrasting nature of 2 people who were bought up in the favela at nearly the same time. While Rocket chose the path of non-violence, Lil’ Ze became an infamous gang lord, being the power hungry maniac that he was. To a good extent, the movie also shows gangsters who’d like to shed their violent ways and start afresh. Shaggy and Benny do it for the women they love, while Clipper does it of his own accord (guilt?). Love, lust, power, vengeance, angst… the movie is a skillful combination of these. And more.

Anarchy apart, the movie also had its share of comical moments and subtle humour. Rocket’s attempts to woo Angelica, his confusion when Lil’ Ze’s gang urges him to take more photos of them instead of killing him for publicizing their name, are a few instances. Also funny, to an extent, are the names the characters were given. Rocket, Carrot, Lil’ Dice, Stringy, Goose, Blacky, Shorty and more. The opening sequence is very suggestive too. A chicken that decides that it doesn’t want to die by the knife, is chased by scores of gangsters. Literally, it is hilarious! Metaphorically, this can represent the fact that the City of God provides no alternate choices. And yes, they get you. And contradicting that fact, we have our narrator Rocket, who chose to follow his lifetime ambition of photography and comes out unscathed.

‘I smoke, I snort coke and I have killed. Therefore I am a man.’

Another jarring aspect of the movie was the way it portrayed kids. During the gang wars, everyone who’s someone wants a gun. You see kids handling guns for superficial reasons like ‘he punched me in the face’. And the most poignant moment came at the climax, where the so called runts are shown carrying munitions, making a black list (consisting of enemies, including the Red Brigade). Just when you thought everything was going to be just fine, the movie ends on a pessimistic note. It begets a question: Will life at the favela ever improve? With the fall of one gang, rises another. And another. A vicious cycle.

Conclusion

Two minutes into the movie, this reviewer was sold. A must watch.