City of God (film)

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City of God
(Cidade de Deus)

Original movie poster
Directed by Fernando Meirelles
Kátia Lund
Produced by Andrea Barata Ribeiro
Mauricio Andrade Ramos
Elisa Tolomelli
Written by Paulo Lins
Bráulio Mantovani
Starring Alexandre Rodrigues
Leandro Firmino
Phellipe Haagensen
Douglas Silva
Jonathan Haagensen
Matheus Nachtergaele
Seu Jorge
Music by Ed Cortês
Antonio Pinto
Editing by Daniel Rezende
Distributed by Miramax (USA)
Buena Vista International
Release date(s) August 30, 2002 (Brazil)
Running time 130 min.
Country Flag of BrazilBrazil / Flag of FranceFrance / Flag of the United StatesUSA[citation needed]
Language Portuguese
Budget $3,300,000 (estimated)
Gross revenue $28,758,747 (worldwide)
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

City of God is a 2002 Brazilian crime drama film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund released in its home country in 2002 and worldwide in 2003. It was adapted by Bráulio Mantovani from the 1997 novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins which are both based on a true story[citation needed]; the war between Knockout Ned and Li'l Zé is based on their real life counterparts[citation needed]. It stars Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino da Hora, Jonathan Haagensen, Douglas Silva and Seu Jorge. The tagline is "Fight and you'll never survive..... Run and you'll never escape."

Most of the actors were, in fact, residents of favelas such as Vidigal and the Cidade de Deus itself.[citation needed]

The film received four Academy Award nominations in 2004: Best Cinematography (César Charlone), Best Directing (Meirelles), Best Editing (Daniel Rezende) and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) (Mantovani). Before that, in 2003 it had been chosen to be Brazil's runner for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but it was not nominated to be one of the five finalists.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Taking place over the course of over two decades, City of God tells the story of Cidade de Deus (Portuguese for City of God), a lower class quarter west of Rio de Janeiro. The film is told from the viewpoint of a boy named Rocket (Busca pé in Portuguese) who grows up there as a fishmonger's son, and demonstrates the desperation and violence inherent in the slums. Based on a real story, the movie depicts drug abuse, violent crime, and a boy's struggle to free himself from the slums' grasp.

The movie begins cinematically depicting chickens being prepared for a meal. A chicken escapes and as an armed gang chases after it bumps into Rocket who believes that the gang wants to kill him. The movie then flashes back ten years earlier, to tell the story of how he got himself into that position.

Three "hoodlums", "The Tender Trio", one being Rocket's brother, Goose, are terrorizing local businesses with armed holdups. In Robin Hood fashion they split part of the loot with the citizens of City of God and are protected by them. Li'l Dice is a hanger-on who convinces them to hold up a motel and rob its occupants. Li'l Dice ("Dadinho" in Portuguese), serving as lookout, fires a warning shot, then proceeds to slaughter the inhabitants. The massacre brings on the attention of the police forcing the three to quit their criminal ways. Each meets an untimely end, except one who decides to join the church. Goose, Rocket's brother, is slain by Li'l Dice after robbing the younger boy and his friend Benny who have been hiding out and committing crimes themselves.

The movie fast forwards a number of years. Li'l Dice now calls himself Li'l Zé ("Zé Pequeno" in Portuguese), and, along with his childhood friend Benny, he establishes a drug empire by eliminating all of the competition except for a drug dealer named Carrot ("Cenoura" in Portuguese). Meanwhile, Rocket has become a part of the "Groovies" a hippie-like group of youth that enjoy smoking pot. He begins his photography career shooting his friends, especially one girl that he is infatuated with, but who is dating another boy.

A relative peace has come over City of God under the reign of Li'l Zé who plans to eliminate his last rival, Carrot, against the judgment of his best friend Benny, who is keeping the peace. At one point, his best friend and partner in crime Benny has decided to become a "playboy" and becomes the "coolest guy in City of God". Eventually, along with the girl that he has wooed away from Rocket, he decides to leave the criminal life behind to live on a farm. However, he is gunned down at his going away party by former drug dealer, Blackie, who is actually aiming for Li'l Zé. Benny was the only thing keeping Li'l Ze from taking over Carrot's business, so now Carrot is in danger.

Li'l Zé humiliates a peace loving man Knockout Ned at the party and afterwards rapes his girlfriend and kills Ned's uncle and younger brother. Ned turns violent and sides with Carrot. After killing one of Li'l Ze's men, Ned starts a war between the two rival factions that creates a "Vietnam" of City of God. Jealous of Ned's notoriety in the newspapers, Li'l Zé has Rocket take photos of himself and his gang which, unknown to Rocket, are taken by a reporter and published in the daily paper. Rocket then mistakenly fears for his life believing that Li'l Zé will want to kill him for it. In actuality, Li'l Zé is pleased with his newfound fame.

Coming full circle, Rocket is startled by Li'l Zé's request that he take a picture of the gang which had been chasing the chicken at the beginning of the film. Before he can, however, a gunfight ensues between the two gangs, but is broken up by the police. Ned is killed by a boy who has infiltrated his gang to avenge his father, who was killed by Ned during a bank robbery. Li'l Zé and Carrot are arrested and Carrot is taken away to show to the press. Li'l Zé is shaken down for money, humiliated and finally released, all of which is secretly photographed by Rocket. After the cops leave, the Runts (a gang of young children who robbed and terrorized the local merchants) come upon Li'l Zé and shoot and kill him in retribution for him killing one of their gang earlier in the film. Rocket takes pictures of Li'l Zé's dead body and goes to the newspaper.

Rocket is seen in the newspaper office looking at all of his photographs through a magnifying glass, and deciding whether or not to put the pictures of the crooked cops in the newspaper, or the picture of Ze's dead body. The photos of the cops would make him famous but put him in danger, while the photos of Li'l Zé would guarantee him a job at the paper. He decides to take the safe route and gives the paper the picture of Li'l Zé's bullet-ridden body, which runs on the front page.

The story ends with the Runts walking around the City of God, making a hit list of the dealers they plan to kill to take over their drug business.

[edit] Main characters

Role Actor Description
Buscapé (Rocket) Alexandre Rodrigues The main narrator and protagonist. A quiet, honest boy who dreams of becoming a photographer, and the only character who seems to keep his innocence during the gang wars.
Zé Pequeno (Li'l Zé) Leandro da Hora An ultra-violent, psychopathic drug dealer who goes over dead bodies to fulfill his goals. He is deeply insecure with women. When his only friend Bené is struck by fate, it drives him over the edge.
Bené (Benny) Phellipe Haagensen Li'l Zé's longtime partner in crime, he is a friendly drug dealer of the City of God, a charismatic and philanthropic criminal who wants to become honest.
Cenoura (Carrot) Matheus Nachtergaele A smaller scale drug dealer who is friendly with Bené but is constantly threatened by Zé.
Mané Galinha (Knockout Ned) Seu Jorge A good-looking ladies' man with a beautiful girlfriend. When his girlfriend attracts Zé's eye, Zé rapes her and then proceeds to massacre several members of Mané's family. In retaliation, Mané and Carrot join forces.

[edit] Production background

On the City of God bonus DVD, it is revealed that the only professional actor with years of filming experience was Matheus Nachtergaele, who played the supporting role of Carrot. Most of the remaining cast were from real-life favelas, and in some cases, even the real-life City of God favela itself. From initially about 2000, about a hundred children and youths were hand-picked and placed into an "actors' workshop" for several months. In contrast to more traditional methods (e.g. studying theatre and rehearsing), it focused on simulating authentic street war scenes, such as a hold-up, a scuffle, a shoot-out etc. A lot came from improvisation, as it was thought better to create an authentic, gritty atmosphere. This way, the inexperienced cast soon learned to move and act naturally.

Prior to City of God, the directors Lund and Meirelles filmed a short film Golden Gate as a sort of test run[citation needed]. Only after then, the final casting for City of God was finalized[citation needed]. The most remarkable choice was Leandro da Hora as Zé Pequeno, as da Hora was unanimously described as a quiet, uncomplicated soul, but now played the psychotic, ultra-violent drug dealer[citation needed]. Da Hora himself describes his character as "pretty unbalanced, greedy and acted without thinking in everything he did (...) I see him like a normal person, but someone who through the ironies of destiny took a wrong turn somewhere."[citation needed]

Appropriately, the film ends eavesdropping on the machinations of the "Runts" as they assemble their death list. The real gang, "Caixa Baixa" (rat boys), is rumored to have comprised such a list. They later became the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) which is the gang that controls the City of God to this day. [1]

[edit] Public acclaim

City of God became the highest-grossing foreign film of 2003 in the United States.[1] It has grossed over 7 million dollars in the U.S. and over 27 million worldwide.[2]

[edit] Critical acclaim

City of God received impressive positive acclaim from major publications in the United States, gathering 92% of favourable reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.[3] Empire chose it as the best film of 2003 and Time chose it as one of the 100 greatest movies of all time, while E! ranked it the 3rd "movie to see before you die" and it is ranked 16th best film of all time on IMDB Top 250..[4] However there has been some criticism from the left. It has been argued that the film exploits certain middle class stereotypes about the poor. [5]

[edit] Top ten lists

The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2003.[6]

[edit] Awards and nominations

According to the Internet Movie Database,[7] City of God won forty-eight awards and received other twenty-one nominations. Among those:

Academy Awards

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards

BAFTA Film Awards

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards

  • Won: Best Foreign Language Film

Golden Globe Awards

Independent Spirit Awards

  • Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film

Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards

  • Won: Best Foreign Language Film

New York Film Critics Circle Awards

Satellite Awards

  • Won: Best Foreign Language Film

Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards

  • Won: Best Foreign Language Film

Toronto Film Critics Association Awards

  • Won: Best Foreign Language Film

Toronto International Film Festival

  • Won: Visions Award - Special Citation

[edit] Cast

Ratings
Argentina:  16
Australia:  R
Brazil:  16
Canada (Home Video)):  18A
Finland:  K-18
France:  16
Germany:  16
Iceland:  16
Ireland:  18
Italy:  T
Japan:  R-15
Netherlands:  16
Norway:  15
Peru:  18
Philippines:  R-18
Portugal:  M/16
Singapore:  M18
Spain:  18
Sweden:  15
Switzerland:  16
United Kingdom:  18
United States:  R

Translation into English of character's names that were nicknames are between parenthesis when applicable.

  • Alexandre Rodrigues as "Buscapé" (Rocket, more specifically a firecracker flying erratically at foot-height before exploding, hence "Busca-Pé = foot-searcher")
  • Alice Braga as Angélica
  • Charles Paraventi as "Tio Sam" or Charles ("Uncle Sam")
  • Christian Duurvoort as "Paulista" (Paulista, a native of the state of São Paulo)
  • Daniel Zettel as Thiago
  • Danielle Ornellas as "Paraíba's" neighbor
  • Darlan Cunha as "Filé com Fritas" ("Steak with Fries")
  • Douglas Silva as "Dadinho" ("Li'l Dice" — Zé Pequeno as child)
  • Edson Montenegro as "Busca-pé’s" father
  • Edson Oliveirra as "Barbantinho" ("Little String")
  • Emerson Gomes as "Barbantinho" (as a child)
  • Felipe Silva as Rafael
  • Gero Camilo as "Paraíba" (Paraíba, in Rio de Janeiro it is a vulgar form of addressing someone from Northeastern Brazil - where the state of Paraíba is located)
  • Graziella Moretto as Marina Cintra
  • Jefechander Suplino as "Alicate" ("Pliers")
  • Jonathan Haagensen as "Cabeleira" ("Big Hair" - known as "Shaggy" in the English version)
  • Karina Falcão as “Paraíba’s” wife
  • Leandra Miranda as "Lúcia Maracanã"
  • Leandro Firmino da Hora as "Zé Pequeno" ("Little Zé - a common abbreviation for the name "José")
  • Luis Otávio as "Busca-pé" (as a child)
  • Luiz Carlos Ribeiro Seixas as "Touro" ("Bull")
  • Marcos Junqueira as Otávio
  • Matheus Nachtergaele as "Sandro Cenoura" ("Carrot Sandro")
  • Maurício Marques as "Cabeção" ("Big Head")
  • Michel de Souza Gomes as "Bené" (as a child)
  • Olívia Araújo as the Motel’s receptionist
  • Paulo César "Jacaré" as "Tuba" (the musical instrument)
  • Phellipe Haagensen as "Bené" (a common abbreviation for the name "Benedito")
  • Renato de Souza as "Marreco" ("Goose". In Portuguese, "Marreco" is a kind of duck but can also be used as a slang for a person who can be easily fooled)
  • Roberta Rodrigues as Berenice
  • Robson Rocha as Gelson
  • Rubens Sabino as "Neguinho" (“Blackie”)
  • Sabrina Rosa as "Galinha’s" wife
  • Seu Jorge as "Mané Galinha" ("Knockout Ned" in the English version — literal translation: "Chicken Manny" – does not imply a coward in Portuguese slang, but usually means "Womanizer". "Mané" is short for "Manuel", a common name in Brazil.)
  • Thiago Martins as "Lampião" (“Lamp”, the name of a famous violent criminal, leader of a criminal group, that lived by the beginning of 20th century in the semi-arid fields in the Northeast of Brazil and is still admired by some regionals)

[edit] References

  1. ^ News | Icelandic Film Corporation
  2. ^ City of God at Box Office Mojo.
  3. ^ City of God at Rotten Tomatoes.
  4. ^ IMDb Top 250
  5. ^ See, for instance, this article in Mute Magazine
  6. ^ Metacritic: 2003 Film Critic Top Ten Lists. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
  7. ^ Awards and nominations for City of God at the Internet Movie Database.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Movies of Fernando Meirelles
The Nutty Boy 2 • Golden Gate (Palace II) • Maids • City of God • The Constant Gardener • Blindness • Intolerance (TBA) • By Any Means Necessary (film)
v • d • e
Cinema of Brazil