At the beginning of the 2000s, Brazilian cinema brought us one of its most memorable films by director Fernando Meirelles with the shocking and raw ‘City of God’ (2002). The film, based on the novel of the same name by Paulo Lins, immerses the viewer in the bowels of a Rio de Janeiro favela, revealing the harsh realities of life in this environment. The story follows Buscapé, played by Alexandre Rodrigues, a young man who dreams of becoming a photographer in the middle of an environment plagued by crime and violence and whose life, from his childhood in the 60s to his adulthood in the 80s, is witnessed. of the rise and fall of various characters who seek to survive in a society marked by poverty and barbarism. The film is currently available in the Prime Video catalog.
The film had notable success on the international awards and film festival circuit. The film received four Oscar nominations., including the categories of Best Director for Fernando Meirelles and Best Adapted Screenplay for Braulio Mantovani, although in the end it did not win any statuette. In addition, the film was also nominated at the 60th Golden Globe Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film. Its good performance also earned it two BAFTA Award nominations, of which it managed to win the well-deserved award in the Best Editing category.
Technically, the film stands out for its vibrant and frenetic cinematography by César Charlone, who is able to capture all the chaotic energy of the favela with a dynamic visual style that immerses the viewer fully in the action. The editing, created by Daniel Rezende, is equally impressive, with a non-linear narrative that maintains an accelerated and immersive pace. For the cast of the film, Fernando Meirelles opted to work with non-professional actors, many of whom came from favelas similar to the one portrayed in the film, which provides an authenticity and naturalness that gives greater veracity to the story. In addition to the already mentioned role of Alexandre Rodrigues as Buscapé, the protagonist, the rest of the cast highlights the performances of Leandro Firmino as the ruthless Zé Pequeno and Douglas Silva as the young version of the same character, as well as Phelippe Haagensen in the role of Bené and Alice Braga in the role of Angélica, offering unforgettable performances that have remained engraved in the public’s memory.
Criticism of Stills from ‘City of God’ He stated that “it is one of the most interesting Latin American films of recent times. And not only because of the topic it touches on, but because of the daring, violent but aesthetically brilliant that Fernando Meirelles has chosen to draw attention to a situation that is becoming unsustainable day by day in large Latin American cities. But the great contribution of this film is the way that Meirelles has chosen to tell his story without falling into exhibitionism or easy denunciation.
