City of God (Portuguese: Cidade de Deus) is a 2002 Brazilian epic crime film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund.
The screenplay, written by Bráulio Mantovani, is adapted from the 1997 novel by Paulo Lins, though the plot is also loosely based on real events.
City of God received widespread critical acclaim and earned four nominations at the 76th Academy Awards: Best Cinematography (César Charlone), Best Director (Meirelles), Best Film Editing (Daniel Rezende), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Mantovani).
Rocket, then a child, observes his older brother Goose (Marreco) and two friends—Shaggy (Cabeleira) and Clipper (Alicate)—known as the "Tender Trio."
The trio disbands: Clipper joins a church, Shaggy dies in a police shootout, and Goose is murdered by Li'l Dice after stealing his loot.
His life intersects with Li'l Zé when he visits a drug den during a raid; recognizing Rocket as Goose’s brother, Benny spares him.
When Carrot refuses to act, Li'l Zé forces a Runt named Steak n’ Fries to kill a peer, cementing his tyranny.
He nearly turns to crime but is dissuaded by Knockout Ned (Mané Galinha), a principled bus clerk and ex-Army sharpshooter.
Blacky, a disgruntled dealer who had his turf stolen by Zé in an earlier raid, accidentally kills Benny during a botched assassination attempt.
While he believes that this will endanger his life and forbid him from returning to the favela, unbeknownst to him, it is revealed that Li'l Zé was trying to gain the media spotlight anyway and approves of the photos.
Marina, the journalist who published the photos, offers for Rocket to spend a night at hers as a form of apology, finally losing his virginity to her in the process.
Rocket’s choice underscores his role as an observer, capturing the favela’s brutal reality while seeking escape through his art.
[9] On the bonus DVD, it is revealed that the only professional actor in the film was Matheus Nachtergaele, who played the supporting role of Carrot.
Meirelles explained: "Today I can open a casting call and have 500 black actors, but just ten years ago this possibility did not exist.
In contrast to more traditional methods (e.g. studying theatre and rehearsing), it focused on simulating authentic street war scenes, such as a hold-up, scuffle, and shoot-out.
Critic Jean Oppenheimer wrote on the production of the film saying that: "A second guiding principle was to avoid glamorising the violence" and that "many of the killings are either shown indistinctly or kept out of frame.
The website's consensus reads, "City of God offers a shocking and disturbing—but always compelling—look at life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro.
[20] Colin Kennedy from Empire awarded the film a full 5 out of 5 stars, comparing it favorably to Goodfellas and writing in his review, "At once a laboratory for cinema technique and a victory for raw heart, this is a snot-nosed, blood-stained masterpiece.
[27] John Powers of LA Weekly wrote that "[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".
[35][36] In 2012, the Motion Picture Editors Guild listed City of God as the 17th best-edited film of all time based on a survey of its members.
[39] Brazilian rapper MV Bill, a resident of Cidade de Deus, said the film had "brought no good to the favela, no social, moral, or human benefit.
Among those: In an interview with Slant Magazine, Meirelles states he had met with Brazil's former and current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who told him about the impact the film has had on both policies and public security within the country.
Seu Jorge, who played Knockout Ned, had a better career after the film and became a major musician, performing at the London 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony.