City of God

The film City of God first takes place between the 1960-the late 1980's. This movie was filmed and takes place in Rio de Janiero, Brazil and is a disturbing story of the slums throughout this city. It was filmed in the year 2000 and many of the characters in the movie are actually actors who were trained from this area. The main story line is about a few boys who were trapped in the slums or favellas and how their lives unfolded throughout many unfortunate circumstances. These slums are the result of poverty throughout this area, there are so many poor people that have very few options. I know this movie was based on a true story and that just makes it that much worse, knowing and being a part of the violence and inhumanity that goes on in other parts of the world. The director did not hold back any violent details when showing us the scenes of this movie, I assume that most of the things that happened are accurate, but I still wish that I didn't have to see so many disturbing images.

Little Dice is one of the main characters in this film, the story introduces him as just a child. When I first saw him I almost had some sympathy for him, he seemed left out eventhough he was the one with all the ideas and most of the intelligence of the group, however, I hadn't yet realized that this kid had evil in his core and was created to kill. There was no morality in his intentions, just like most of the kids in these favellas. No one seemed to have any regard for human life, everyone was just too consumed with gaining more power and would kill anyone who stood in their way.

The city in this movie is portrayed as such a dangerous place. I would be scared to step foot in this city for even five minutes. There are kids hijacking trucks for goods, people killing in the streets, the police have no control over anyone. There is just no order in the City of God, no one respects authority. People run from the cops, yet the cops are also bad people who accept bribes, no one can be trusted. Everyone is just struggling to get by, if you are not a thief, you may not survive. People kill just for the sake of killing, or most importantly to show them that they have more power. The economy also seems almost nonexistent, no one has jobs, there are no shops, restaurants or anything around the streets.

The landscape outside of the favella is beautiful beaches, full of lush palm trees and sparkling waters. It almost felt like I was watching two different movies, first your looking at these run down neighborhoods full of crime and commotion, then you're looking at peaceful beaches full of sand and laughter. Also the landscape outside of the favellas just looks a lot safer, there are actually businesses, nicer houses and more transportation. It looks like a typical city with normal people that are not so involved with hate and crime. Along with a more developed city comes more developed individulas who have a more peaceful existence. The countryside is basically just shown as an escape from the favellas to a safer environment.

Class structure is very evident in this movie. We are shown two sides of life. The favelas show us the poor side of the city, this side is full of illegal substances, guns, killing, crime and danger. All the power in these favelas are held by gangs. These gangs decide who will live and who will die, they force others into gangs and hold the lives of the city in their hands. They also have the power to control the wealth of the community. Outside of the favelas we are shown others that are not involved in gangs, such as the police. Although the police are supposed to protect us from harm, they cannot help but to also be influenced by these gangs. The police flirt with danger as they accept bribes from the wealthy so they can also become richer, creating a violent circle. What a violent and corrupt existence the City of God is under!