Z/Web

This is an incredible film. It’s a true story, in Portuguese, set in Brazil. The “City of God” is the name of the slum outside Rio where anything goes. It’s literally one of the worst places on the earthy. Our hero is a young man who wants to get out of the slums and become a photographer, but lack of opportunity and the temptation of easy money via drug dealing stalls him. The story is told documentary-style, with hand-held camera and other techniques that make it seem astonishingly real. The violence is brutal, plentiful, continuous, but raw and unadorned, which has a powerful impact. We watch as a 12-year-old boy shoots people and laughs, and a gang of children assault another shooting him full of holes. Life is cheap in the “City of God,” and this film shows that vividly. But unlike many gangster films or drug movies, which either glorify or degenerate the hood lifestyle, this one presents it as simple reality, full of both the good and the bad. We see gangsters reveling in the luxury of owning a simple designer shirt — this is what their pathetic life of crime has earned them — and contrast that with families struggling just to put food on the table. It’s the story of boy photographer that elevates this above a mere exercise in violence. His story is poignant yet completely honest. He’s not perfect, and he’s tempted by the crime lifestyle, but he’s good at heart and we’re glad when he succeeds in the end. This is terrific film-making and story-telling. It never lets up for a second. It’s got humor (occasionally very dark), pathos, and tons of violence. It’s like a documentary of a Tarentino film. It’s hard to watch at times, but I will watch this again and again: there’s enough depth here to keep repeating viewings fresh.