City of God

Latino Leaders: The National Magazine of the Successful American Latino, Feb-March, 2003

A film by Fernando Meirelles Language: Portuguese with English subtitles Release date: January 17, 2003 (LA/NY)

In Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles' incendiary epic, Ciudade de Deus or City of God, the lead character is in fact a labyrinthine Rio slum infected with child assassins, petty criminals, and brutal drug dealers. Spanning the late 1960s to the mid 80s, the film weaves over a dozen narrative threads into a taut sociological study. The two most important narratives follow Rocket, an unassuming youth with aspirations of becoming a photographer, and Lil Dice, a twisted sociopath whose path diverges from Rocket's into senseless violence and drug dealing.

The two-hour film was drawn from Paulo Lins' celebrated 700-page novel, based on a true story in the all-too real Ciudade de Deus. Opening to widespread acclaim last summer in Brazil and an official selection at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, it will likely be a strong Academy Award contender.

Former documentary producer Meirelles shows a tender respect in his direction of the emotionally gifted young cast. The obvious influence of contemporary, hard-boiled filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, and Robert Rodriguez is unmistakable. The tightly edited jumps in time, shaky camera angles, too-hip soundtrack, and claustrophobic close-ups are employed to create a humming inferno of a place where life is lived to the fullest, but also holds little value.