Cidade de Deus
Scenario:
Bráulio MantovaniCamera:
César CharloneActeurs:
Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Matheus Nachtergaele, Phellipe Haagensen, Seu Jorge, Jonathan Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Alice Braga, Gero Camilo (meer)Samenvattingen(1)
City of God, gebaseerd op waargebeurde feiten, onthult de donkere kant van het Braziliaanse straatleven met ongelooflijk veel passionele en explosieve energie. De jaren '60 City of God, de thuishaven van de achtjarige jongen Buscapé die ervan droomt om later fotograaf te worden. Een leeftijdsgenoot Dadinho neemt deel aan gewapende overvallen in opdracht van de lokale gangster Cabaleira. Dadinho begaat op dat ogenblik ook zijn eerste moord. De jaren '70 Buscapé heeft het moeilijk om op het rechte pad te blijven. Dadinho heeft ondertussen al enkele moorden op zijn naam staan, én hij leidt ook een bende die zich bezig houdt met bedrog en verraad. Hij realiseert zich dat het grote geld en de echte macht in de lokale drugshandel valt te verdienen. De jaren '80 Buscapé krijgt eindelijk een camera in zijn handen en hij realiseert zijn kinderdroom. Dadinho heeft eveneens zijn levensdroom verwezenlijkt. Op zijn achttiende is hij de meest gevreesde drugsdealer in Rio. Dadinho regeert onbetwistbaar met zijn leger van jonge hooligans totdat Mané Galinha zweert dat hij zich zal wreken voor de verkrachting van zijn vriendin. Hij zal kost wat kost Dadinho doden. De oorlog barst uit in de favela. (Paradiso Films)
(meer)Recensie (9)
It chills one to the bone. It chills me to see how young children are quite easily seduced into the path of crime by watching their "role models" – teenage murderers. A little boy can kill with complete calmness and even with a kind of joy, a bunch of tiny, faceless brats raid shops with a gun in their hands as if they were going to play football. City of God is an unsentimental look at life in the slums, where, due to the difficult social situation and lack of education, crime and drugs are a common part of the landscape and where gang affiliation is more than the law. It does not lecture, it does not provide instructions for solving the problem, it just impressively shows the harsh reality that is unfortunately not only inherent to Brazilian metropolises. It’s a technically skilled (top-notch cinematography and editing) cheerless spectacle, in which you don’t, of course, get a redemptive catharsis, a positive outcome. And the final caption “Based on a true story” says it all. PS: In the closing credits, there is a short scene with the real life version of one of the film's characters, Knockout Ned, saying exactly the same words that are heard in the film.
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Well, I don’t think City of God is only an average film, as my rating may indicate, but I simply can’t grant four or five stars to something that never managed to make me interested in how it will end. The editing is very nice, and so are the performances and the direction, but what can I do with that when I didn’t care at all about the story itself?
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Probably the biggest movie experience I've had and I'm not afraid to give it a full score. City of God has a very gritty story set in Rio de Janeiro, with no shortage of dead children and women. Little Z is a devilishly cool villain, the main character, a photographer, is a likable guy, and playboy Denny is the most popular and friendly drug dealer I've ever seen. There's also humor and some very powerful scenes that will stick in your memory for a long time. 95%
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City of God is an extraordinary film primarily due to its content, depicting the squalor of the slums on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro and the immense criminal activity in the area. It is based on true events. In the past, the problem of slums was even greater. The notorious death squads (EM) originated in Brazil, and this abbreviation comes from the name of motorized police brigades whose members illegally massacred child gang members in the suburbs of Brazilian cities in the 1960s. The film's strengths include modern editing, good cinematography, a solid script, and the performances of actors who are completely unfamiliar in Europe. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the film. Overall impression: 95%.
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An exceptional masterpiece that may only receive true recognition after several years. The Brazilian nature of this film can literally be felt in every second. The filmmakers break away from the typical clichéd story and give us a gritty, realistic experience, where we see the harsh life in the roughest neighbourhoods of Rio de Janeiro. The formal aspect is flawless, with fantastic handheld camera, brilliant editing, and sound. The actors (unknown to me) give wonderful performances and the direction is even better.
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Now. that's what I call proper craftsmanship! The directors literally jumped in headfirst to present a true hell on earth in the most cruel, uncompromising, and "unfortunately" the most realistic point of view. What's more, they didn’t need stars or pools of blood. No, what makes this film so compelling is the shocking fact that this is how life is really lived, and an amazing portrayal of characters as they try to deal with the events around them in the only way possible, with a gun always at hand. Such a film could be interesting even without a plot, but City of God has a very good one, with plenty of action and keeps a very high pace throughout. After the closing credits, I was simply amazed and captivated by the quality and power of the story, which made me even more grateful that I was born here in Czechia, where kids don't get a shotgun or a membership in a killer gang for their tenth birthday.
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The film attacks the viewer with its rawness, with everything presented incredibly realistically, creating an almost documentary-like impression. This is Rio de Janeiro, this is the city where death can come just because someone has too much power. A tough drama that heavily relies on the fact that such slums in Brazil are likely real. Sometimes you feel like it really is. The scenes with children are truly intense. It is difficult to get into the story because the intensity with which the film affects you will probably shock you and take your breath away. It is quite challenging to identify with the characters.
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This beautifully raw film, City of God, depicting the bloody past of Rio de Janeiro's most dangerous and oldest slum, is exactly the kind of drama that hits you to the core. And not only in form or subject matter, but above all in how incredibly authentic and realistic it is. That's the way movies based on true events should be made, so that their realness cries out to all corners of the world. (95%)
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