City of God (2002)

Directed by: Katia Lund, Fernando Meirelles
Written by: Braulio Mantovani
Starring: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino,Phellipe Haagensen
Rated: R 

An opening shot from "City of God" shows the vibrant life a favela in Rio de Janeiro, full of music and color and chatter. A chicken escapes from a butcher and goes running down the street, soon to be chased by a group of school age kids wielding pistols. They run and laugh and shoot wildly at this chicken, unchecked by locals or the police, and we must infer that this is normality. Katia Lund and Fernando Meirelles's exuberant and horrifying account of the Brazilian drug wars of the 1970's is masterclass work and one of those rare films that sneaks up on you and knocks you right on your ass.

A dense tapestry made of the stories of many colorful characters, we are grounded to the narrative by Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), a young man who has lived a life surrounded by crime but avoided it with a passion for photography. A Dickensian-type character, Rocket's story is never the primary focus, but like a camera we see snapshots of the lives of the people who surround him over the course of a decade.

Mainly it is the story of Li'l Dice, later known as Li'l Ze (Leandro Firmino), who was raised in the slums and shadowed by would-be hoodlums until he grew into his own taste for violence. At a young age the deeply insecure and sociopathic teen moved to the City of God and set his sights upon taking charge of the swelling neighborhood. The major players reveal themselves as Benny (Phellipe Haagensen), Carrot, and Knockout Ned, and through their stories we watch the harrowing politics of drug dealing unfold in graphic detail. There are rules to these slums, gerrymandering and canvassing, power plays and backstabbing, all in an effort to seize more territory and more business.

It's a challenging drama with many different players and subplots, but Lund and Meirelles take firm hold of the dense plot and create something that is almost hypnotic is its speed, its brutality and the contradictory vivaciousness with which it is all presented. Watching dozens and dozens of kids throw their lives away for a war which they have no authority on or information about is desperately hard to watch, but at the same time it is not simply about faceless child soldiers doing the bidding of kingpins. There is an unquestionable rejoicing of life and a celebration of youth in its recklessness. Through the bloodshed these are teenagers like any others in the world whose lives are centered on getting high, getting laid, getting a job, finding a purpose in the world.

There could not simply be one or the other, the life or the death, for then we would be apathetic to both. Seeing Rocket with his first nice camera fills us with a pleasure in knowing that it is through art that he is avoiding a life of drugs and violence. But at the same time this camera was a gift from a "boss" of the favela who obtained it as trade for cocaine from the junkie Tiago. Rocket's fortunate turn comes from Tiago's dependence on Li'l Ze and his operation's lack of competition. The even-handedness of it all is what makes the film so special.

Beautiful mixtures of color, music and excellent framing accentuate stellar performances from a cast largely made of nonprofessionals. There is an authenticity to the artistry of the filmmakers that affords them the leniency in making such a huge picture that raises far more questions than it answers. While watching I couldn't escape the feeling that these men did not direct this out a desire to transfer a didactic message about the state of the favelas or police corruption or the inner workings of a drug racket. To me it seemed more an outpouring of emotions, and that the whole movie was directed by the whims of their creativity.

This is a story as powerful as any you could hope to watch, filled with images that will seer into your eyelids. The talent in this film is huge and gushes out untempered by political correctness or industry standards. It is one of those rare moments when great parts equal a greater whole, all of which is commanded by pure inspiration.

4/4