The City of God Film: Life in Suburbs Ruled by Gangs - Essay Example

The World Film Journal The film, of God, is a Brazilian film directed and co-directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund respectively. City of God is an adaptation of Paulo Lins’ novel of 1997 bearing the same name as the film. The story bases on actual events that showcase the emergence and evolution of organized crime in the capital of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro in the years between the late 1960s and the early 1980s. It focuses on the effects of criminal activities on the lives of the poor populace residing in Rio de Janeiro. The film’s characters exist in reality making it more real and intense; in fact, some of the cast resided in Rio de Janeiro at the time of shooting this film. City of God focuses on the tagline that if one chooses to run, the beast catches up with them and, if they choose to stay, the beast eats them. This is a moral dilemma which faces the characters in the film, who have to choose to either leave the crime-infested suburb or stay put and become affected by the organized crime. The film has received much acclaim on different aspects ranging from receiving four Academy Award nominations, the best writing (adaptation), directing, editing and cinematography. The film opens by chickens being prepared for a meal, but one of the chickens manages to escape and is chased by a gang member who meet Rocket, a youth who seems to believe that the gang is out to kill him. The film’s excellent cinematography comes out when the chicken halts between the Rocket and the armed gang member showing the confusion being witnessed in the area by most young persons, unsure of which side to follow; either the bunch of criminals or the ordinary person. Suddenly, we are taken back to Rocket’s childhood days where he is playing soccer; here, we learn how the City of God was established in the late 1960s. Following military tyranny in the region, impoverished individuals are forced into a life of crime as they seek to find their daily bread. For example, the group “tender trio” consisting of Shaggy, Clipper and Goose, robs and plunders businesses and divide the loot among them, leaving a portion for the citizens of the City of God. This, in turn, endears the trio to the citizens, who protect the former and some young men even idolize them as heroes and saviors of the community. However, such idolization has detrimental effects for some of the boys in the City of God as seen through Li’l Dice, who manages to talk his counterparts into raiding a motel and robbing its occupants off their valuables. Being too young, Li’l Dice is tasked to serve as a lookout for the police, a move that angers Li’l Dice, who subsequently uses his issued gun to kill all the motel occupants. In the City of God, induction into the life of crime and gangs takes place at a tender age as evident through Li’l Dice being given a gun to warn his crew of police’ arrival. The law enforcement agencies are brought into the limelight upon the occurrence of the motel massacre. In the story, the police have a laid back attitude towards criminal gangs, choosing to wait until a crime as grave as the massacre occurs before they act ((Lins and Entrekin, p. 113). Cohesion among members of criminal gangs is minimal as they turn against one another upon the slightest provocation. Li’l Dice, who appears to have enjoyed the act of killing, shots down his friend Goose after stealing from him. The film leaps forward into the 1970s where we note that Rocket has since joined a group of youthful hippies, the “Groovies”, who take part in smoking marijuana. Rocket’s infatuation with a girl draws him further towards his interest in photography. However, his efforts of getting closer to the girl are squashed by “the Runts”, a group of young trouble seekers under the leadership of Li’l Dice who now refers to himself as Li’l Ze. Li’l Dice’s evolution into a drug king results in his wanton disregard for human life as he sends out his henchmen to kill anyone who poses a threat to his drug empire. Li’l Dice asserts himself as Lord of the region and eliminates all his competitors except Carrot, a long time friend of Li’l Dice’s friend, Benny. Disparities between rival gangs are exemplified through Li’l Dice’s decision to have his henchmen murder a member of the Runts because the member has, apparently, committed petty crimes in Li’l Dice’s domain. We note that choosing to leave the life of criminal gangs is considered a death sentence. This can be seen when Benny wins over Rocket’s girlfriend, and opts out of the criminal life to settle on a farm, but is gunned down before he leaves the city. Benny’s murderer was aiming for Li’l Dice, but shoots Benny instead (Lins and Entrekin, p. 99). Following the demise of his sole trusted companion, Li’l Dice lives in fear of attacks from his enemies, primarily his former rival, Carrot. Brutality is essentially the epitome of gang life; the toughest member of a gang is recognized by their level of brutality towards others and fear is considered cowardly. Li’l Dice’s brutality leads him to rape Ned’s girlfriend and kill both his brother and uncle. As a counter measure, Ned teams up with Carrot and kills one of Li’l Dice’s men, injuring Dice in the process. A war between the two factions engulfs the City of God up to the onset of the 1980s. Both factions solicit support by providing weapons to their recruits. Dice’s need for notoriety pushes him to ask Rocket to take a photo of the former and his gang, this move would later serve as Dice’s downfall as a reporter, Marina, publishes the photos resulting in police raids and gunfights where most of the gang members are killed ((Lins and Entrekin, p. 196). The police are shown as collaborators of gangs as they arrest Dice, take his money and release him without filing any charges. Corruption in law enforcement agencies compounds the problem of gang related crimes by protecting gang leaders and forewarning them of any police ambush that would lead to the capture of these leaders. Rocket photographs the whole gunfight and arrest scenes and later toys with the idea of publishing pictures of the corrupt policemen, but opts not to, fearing police harassment. The film culminates in the death of Dice, murdered by the Runts who later walk about the City of God, creating a list of persons they intend to kill in order to assert their dominance over the drug trade. Through the life of Rocket, the film showcases the goings-on of gang crimes in the suburbs. His zeal not to indulge in gang life portrays the resilience of visionary youth in gang-prone areas. These visionary individuals resist the enticement of money and power provided by gang life, opting to indulge in fruitful activities such as photography. The film is a stark portrayal that the grim effects of poverty and lawlessness are massive human tragedies. Impunity and outright disregard for human life are a key element of the film; murder is considered a routine activity, exalted by some. The director uses flashback and freeze-frames to accentuate the film’s message and provide a vivid picture of the occurrences in the City of God. In addition, the director also used music in relaying the film’s message. For instance, he uses a number of soundtracks in the film, all of this draw on the themes of the story and provide a personal feel to the film, while at the same time conveying the intended message. Examples of songs used in the film include; "Alvorada", written by Carlos Cachaça and Hermínio B. Carvalho and performed by Cartola (Lins and Entrekin, p. 251). In conclusion, the City of God is an excellent film done as a documentary on life in suburbs ruled by gangs. The realness in the film’s story line ensures the audience’ excitement is maintained, which is essential in conveying the directors intended message. Fernando Meirelles’ work on this film can only be termed as genius as he was able to depict the actual reality in Rio de Janeiro while at the same time, provide education on counter measures to deal with this grim reality. Work Cited Lins, P. and Entrekin, A. City of God: A Novel. NY: Grove Press, Black Cat, 2006. Print. Read More