 "Photo: Courtesy Photo")
It seems like every year, one foreign film captures the attention of the world and reminds us all that we should watch more non-American movies. For the year 2004, that film was arguably "City of God." Only the third feature from director Fernando Meirelles, "City of God" is an expansive and ambitious work narrating decades of life in the slums, or favelas, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The film is artfully done, and displays the talents and innovation of Meirelles, while also remaining easily accessible for any fan of cinema. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the film is how accessible and easy to watch it is, while also being South American and brutally violent.
What seems to be the most obvious aspect of "City of God" is its constant and unrelenting violence. There are definitely characters in the film who reject the violence, and attempt to remove themselves from its influence, but neither they as characters, or we as viewers, can deny the fact of its existence.
As the main character, Rocket, explains in the film, he can neither hope to escape or run away from the City of God's violence. We, as viewers, cannot ignore the guns, shooting, and disregard of human life playing out for the length of the movie. The role of violence in cinema has come up before in these Film Underground articles, for both "Taxi Driver," where it forces us to question the ambiguous urban hero character of Travis Bickle, and in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," where it makes us question the horror genre as a whole, and the ways in which it has helped to make us numb to both murder and torture played out on the cinematic screen. In "City of God," violence takes on a new meaning. Here, its presence ultimately defines a place in the world, a region in South America forgotten by those in power and who have the money to make change. The City of God region is ruled by violence and for the vast majority of its inhabitants it is only in living by violence that one can achieve success in this world.
I am a big fan of this film, and think it does an excellent job of exposing the realities of slum life in Rio de Janeiro, while also offering hope in explaining that happiness can come to any who respect, and direct their life by their passions. The Rocket character in this film, and his inspiring story which shows us how he rose above the death and immorality of the City of God to achieve success as a photographer, is a kind of respite and side narrative to the main action of gang life in the film. The characteristics of this film's story, and how it plays out on the screen, made me think of "Boogie Nights," P.T. Anderson's 1997 film, which used an ensemble cast, careful editing, and cinematography to evoke the passing of time and the growth (or unchanging nature) of his human characters. In "City of God," we see these same techniques.
The cast is nothing short of epic, and what is more impressive than its size, is the fact that almost all of the characters on screen are non-professional locals from the actual City of God area. In order to better work with the inhabitants of the area, and to facilitate the realism of the film, Meirelles hired a co-director, who had previously shot in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. The editing and cinematography is what truly capture the realism of the favelas and create a story which realistically and tastefully spans the passage of decades in time. "City of God" is told by a cross cutting narrative, which goes back and forth in time, using flashbacks, period music, and a careful repetition of both individual shots and entire editing sequences to tastefully tell its story.
"City of God" received four Oscar nominations and won 48 awards. It is an excellent film, and a perfect example of some modern trends in cinematic storytelling. Please, join us on Thursday, February 1, for Film Underground's screening of "City of God" in Murkland 115 at 7 p.m. Our screenings are free and open to all. We hold meetings at 6:30, prior to the screening which are also in Murkland 115. Be Well, FU.
Be the first to comment on this article!