Cidade de Deus AKA City of God (2002) – Review

Directed by Fernando Meirelles

City of God is about a young guy ‘Rocket’ and his experiences growing up in the slums of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The drug culture, guns, violence and murder are all prevalent in this tale that depicts the lives of the youngsters in Rio de Janeiro. The rivalry between gangs struggling over power and domination overflows into the streets, where it affects everyone young and old. In an effort to try and distance himself from all of this, Rocket dreams of becoming a photographer so that he can leave the ‘City of God’. City of God is brutally honest and heartfelt. Based on a true story, this film captures Rocket as he grows during the sixties…

The most powerful hood in the City of God is ‘Lil Ze’, whose out to stop anyone in his way in order to get to the top. His best friend ‘Benny’ in contrast is the coolest hood in the City of God because he gets along with everyone and listens to reason and not violence. Because of this stark contrast between the two, eventually they collide.

City of God is different to any other film I have seen before, because it’s eye-opening. I’ve never seen young child actors herald guns before and the telling of a story from a kid’s point of view is very down-to-earth. A great film.

9/10