City of God
4 Oscar Nominations
Rent/Purchase
In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.
What critics thought
City of God landed with enormous force on release and has only grown in stature since, widely regarded as one of the defining films of its decade. Most critics were swept up by Meirelles's kinetic direction and the film's unflinching immersion in favela life, though a dissenting strand argued that the dazzling technique ultimately kept the human tragedy at arm's length — and a Brazilian critical voice went further, accusing the film of packaging poverty for international consumption.
“At once a laboratory for cinema technique and a victory for raw heart, this is a snot-nosed, blood-stained masterpiece. If you see even one or two better movies this year, you will be very lucky indeed.”
Colin Kennedy·Empire
“City of God churns with furious energy as it plunges into the story of the slum gangs of Rio de Janeiro. Breathtaking and terrifying, urgently involved with its characters, it announces a new director of great gifts and passions: Fernando Meirelles. Remember the name.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“although [the film] whirs with energy for nearly its full 130-minute running time, it is oddly lacking in emotional heft for a work that aspires to be so epic—it is essentially a tarted up exploitation picture whose business is to make ghastly things fun”
John Powers·LA Weekly
Genres
Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorFernando Meirelles
StarringAlexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen
ComposerEd Cortês, Antonio Pinto
City of God
4 Oscar Nominations
In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.
What critics thought
City of God landed with enormous force on release and has only grown in stature since, widely regarded as one of the defining films of its decade. Most critics were swept up by Meirelles's kinetic direction and the film's unflinching immersion in favela life, though a dissenting strand argued that the dazzling technique ultimately kept the human tragedy at arm's length — and a Brazilian critical voice went further, accusing the film of packaging poverty for international consumption.
“At once a laboratory for cinema technique and a victory for raw heart, this is a snot-nosed, blood-stained masterpiece. If you see even one or two better movies this year, you will be very lucky indeed.”
Colin Kennedy·Empire
“City of God churns with furious energy as it plunges into the story of the slum gangs of Rio de Janeiro. Breathtaking and terrifying, urgently involved with its characters, it announces a new director of great gifts and passions: Fernando Meirelles. Remember the name.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“although [the film] whirs with energy for nearly its full 130-minute running time, it is oddly lacking in emotional heft for a work that aspires to be so epic—it is essentially a tarted up exploitation picture whose business is to make ghastly things fun”
John Powers·LA Weekly
Genres
Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorFernando Meirelles
StarringAlexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen
ComposerEd Cortês, Antonio Pinto
Rent/Purchase