City of God by Fernando Meirelles
Foreign film DVDs-Main Level C
Too often there are movies that glamorize drugs and violence without retaining any semblance of depth or understanding into the world they portray. On the other hand, too often there are heavy handed movies that push a message without being able to entertain and keep an audience invested. City of God is such a movie that can walk the fine line that both entertains and informs in a way that doesn’t preach.
The movie recalls the lives of two boys growing up in the slums of Rio De Janeiro and the different paths they take. One boy, Rocket dreams of becoming a photographer and escaping the slums, while the other Lil Dice dreams of becoming the greatest gangster in the slums. The movie follows them through the decades as they both achieve their dreams with varying results.
The film shows a world full of violence and despair that lies just beyond the typical tourist hot spots. Children as young as five run wild brandishing weapons, drinking and smoking cigarettes, like a deranged version of Lord of the Flies. This is a city that even the police won’t venture into, well the ones who aren’t already getting paid off by the drug dealers anyway.
While the subject matter is bleak the director Fernando Meirelles creates a vibrant visual perspective and peppers the film with bits of humor and optimism. What’s even more interesting is the special features of the DVD that contains a documentary about the slums the movie is based off of. It’s one thing to see a somewhat fictional portrayal of the subject matter, but after viewing the documentary it’s hard to shake the fact that many of the disturbing images in the film are real and are still occurring.