Movie Review: CITY OF GOD🍿

CITY OF GOD🙏

"Cidade de Deus" (City of God) is a unique 💚💛Brazilian film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, based on Paulo Lins's novel📖 of the same name. It has received major accolades from the 👀Academy, including nominations for "Academy Award for Best Director," "Academy Award for Best Cinematography," "Academy Award for Best Film Editing," among others.

To understand the movie, it's necessary to pay attention to the situational context: it unfolds in the dangerous favela🌆of City of God, located in Rio de Janeiro, over several decades.

The story revolves around the lives of two young friends👦, "Buscapé," an aspiring photographer📷aiming to turn professional someday, and "Zé Pequeno," who gets involved in the world of crime and becomes a feared and powerful drug lord. Buscapé seeks a way to escape the criminality and decay surrounding him and finds solace through his camera, documenting the reality of his environment. Throughout the film, we perceive an antagonism between these two characters, both immersed in the same social context but with vastly different desires and emotionalities for their respective futures. Thus, these two intertwined stories, along with those of their friends, converge, intertwine, and unravel through the alleys and passages of the favela.

(the kid with the gun is Zé Pequeno)

(he is Buscapé)

"City of God" is known for its bold visual style and non-linear narrative, masterfully woven together to offer a powerful and visceral cinematic experience. The movie presents a range of complex and multidimensional characters, portraying their daily struggle for survival and search for hope in a heartbreaking environment.

As mentioned earlier, the characters are constantly battling marginality, poverty, drug trafficking, and their own desires that seem thwarted when they attempt to leave the neighborhood. Each one develops within the limited alternatives they have. This film shows the harsh reality of a neighborhood, like all peripheral and marginalized areas, and we find that the decisions made by those living in it are often driven by one simple reason: they have no other choice.

In my opinion, this story reflects that sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the context doesn't help. I mean, that's when we can often understand the impossibility of growth doesn't solely depend on oneself or how much you want to achieve something, but rather on the macrostructural circumstances of the context. In other words, there are social and economic conditions that influence the individual and collective differences of those living in a particular society.

The performances throughout the film are phenomenal, and a remarkable and masterful fact is that the cast is mostly composed of non-professional actors, adding splendid authenticity to the movie.

We can say that "City of God" is much more than a film about crime and violence; it's a profound reflection on the human condition, social inequality, and lack of opportunities. Through its impactful narrative and distinctive visual style, the film raises questions about society, morality, and collective responsibility.

In conclusion, "City of God" is an emotionally intense, thought-provoking, and moving film that leaves a deep impression on the viewer. It is a cinematic masterpiece that lingers in the memory of those who watch it and has earned its place as one of the most influential films in contemporary cinematic history.

Here you have the trailer :)

🍿IMDb Rating: 8.6/10

🍅Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%

💭My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

So far for today, now you know what to watch over the weekend😜. I hope you liked my review! See ya!

-Pinwi🐧