City of God
Screening: 19th January 2004
Brazil/France/USA 2002 (subtitles)
Directed by Fernando Meirelles
Leading players ~ Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino da Hora, Seu Jorge.
Synopsis
City of God was the most notorious slum of Rio de Janeiro. Built as social housing it became a breeding ground of rootless children who regarded gangs as family.The story is narrated by Rocket (Rodrigues) who returns to the City of God as a photojournalist in the late 1980s and recalls the lives of his contemporaries since the 1960s. Handsome Ned (Jorge) had managed to escape via school and military service but is now in a dead-end job and cannot avoid the endemic violence. The most compelling character is psychotic Li’l Dice (Firmino da Hora) who never wanted to be anything but a gangster and who was bound to succeed. They and the other gang members are indelible characters; they seeth with life.
* * * * * *
The actors are mostly non-professional children who were selected from the favelas of Rio. They were encouraged to improvise and this in no small way provides intense veracity to their scenes.There is humour in this film and the opening sequence of a chicken bound for the pot making its bid for freedom and thereby introducing us to Rocket is a memorable piece of filmmaking.
