The Flipcritic

THERE is one scene in BAD BOYS II where a high-speed pursuit of military vehicles rampages through a hillside shantytown. Pulling off this action spectacle was impressive, but the sequence hardly had a thought for the impoverished residents who might have been injured or killed during such havoc. If a movie could to peer into the lives into those poor destitute souls on the fringes of society, showcasing their hopes, fears, hardships and triumphs, it would look like CIDADE DE DEUS (CITY OF GOD). This may very well be the best film of 2002 that you’ve never heard of.

The movie’s storyline takes place in a squatter-infested housing project of the same name in Rio de Janeiro, which encompasses three decades (the sixties to the eighties) and revolves around the lives of several characters. As the picture progresses, we witness their fates begin to intertwine helplessly and slowly. They become entwined through drugs, poverty and murder. Many of them intersect with the grave intent of revenge and greed. Most of these characters will die and hardly any of them will remain unscathed. But what is so gut-wrenchingly sad about the absurdity of it all is that all of them will experience these ills before their adolescence is over.

One of these youths is Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) who serves as the movie’s narrator. It is through his eyes that we experience many of the film’s occurrences. Though he initially shares an apathy and ignorance that affects most of his peers, he somehow miraculously escapes the trappings of the underworld. He eventually ends up discovering his gift of the eye as a budding newspaper photographer. At one point, his photographs seem to get him fatally close to his demise, but instead they lead to increased access to the criminality he was linked to since childhood.

One of these criminal links is Lil’ Ze (Leandro Firmino da Hora) the most menacing drug lord in the City of God. Though his moniker may be apt for his size and age, it belies his influence. His gleeful ruthlessness is frightening, and his introduction into a life of crime is even more so. Despite his callous nature, his best friend Carrott (Matheus Nachtergaele) seems to bring out whatever humanity left he has in him. Carrott shares in Lil’ Ze’s reign, but not his character. He is smart and serious, yet his longings are bohemian. Together, Lil’ Ze and Carrott provide the balance that generates the order structure in their community. So when one of them falls, so does the City’s constitution.

It is no easy feat to put together three decades worth of slum history and character development into a running time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, but director Fernando Meirelles does so with the skill and passion of a seasoned maestro. With astounding detail and swathing emotional flourishes, he creates an aura of exigency that is undeniable. The film’s story is based on actual events (particularly the life of Wilson Rodriguez, a Brazilian photographer), and its locales are shot in the actual projects that its title exclaims, giving it a stark reality that seems as true as any documentary. He also has ingenious visual techniques, such as the very first flashback scene where Rocket looks back into his childhood. The camera circles around him as he and his backdrop transform into their origins. Mr. Bay could learn a thing or two from this guy, as Meirelles is also a music video director (who obviously puts his talents to better use).

The three decades I speak of comprise the film’s three acts. The first charts how each significant character’s history leads to their introduction to drugs and crime. The second follows Lil’ Ze’s rise to power and his unification of the city’s gangs. The last details the turf war over the City of God, complete with vanquishers and the vanquished. Each act is riveting in its display of horrific conditions of deprivation and violence.

Most crime films that depict violence try to shock us with increasing levels of gore or unlikely acts of physical damage. While most movie villains seem to be subliminally aware of the audience, trying to amaze us with different acts of cruelty. CITY OF GOD has no interest in trying to impress us with varying levels of disgust, or entertaining us with the pain of others. It merely looks intently, unflinchingly, at the decadence that has become entrenched in its environment. Its villains could care less for what we think. They are single-minded in their goals and convictions. Lil’ Ze only wants to rule completely. His competitor Benny (Phelipe Haagensen) only wants to be profitable and sell drugs without worry. Ze’s deadliest foe Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge) only wants revenge.

The French author Gustave Flaubert once wrote that he disliked Uncle Tom’s Cabin because its author constantly preached against slavery. He wrote, “Does one have to make observations about slavery? . . . Depict it; that’s enough.” CITY OF GOD never makes the mistake of preaching the messages it wishes to send. It shows a terrible veracity where life has no meaning for young criminals except when snuffing it out. Seeing these juvenile squatters running around with guns in their hands, money wads in their pockets, selling drugs like street food, induced in me a feeling of bewildering helplessness.

It also displays how the combination of poverty and crime can undermine even the most fundamental social structure: the family. The only group that brings self-esteem is the gang, depending on how you thrive in it. It demonstrates how police corruption is often an integral part for crime to exist, and how the elite could care less about the welfare of those on the outer reaches of civilization. It lays bare the grim realities that push even the most promising of the needy to resort to misdeeds in order to survive (in many ways, it mirrors the worst of the Filipino poor).

But the film is not entirely engrossed with desperation and depression. Its subjects are after all just kids. We see their dreams and aspirations. We watch them find love even in the midst of degeneracy. We witness the friendships that make their lives worth living. We find ourselves in the midst of their celebrations and quiet achievements. And most importantly, we see the hope in their eyes that at the end of their dark endeavors, things will be different, no matter how slim a possibility that might be.

CITY OF GOD is a scorcher of a film, immersing us in a world of crime and poverty with a concrete atmosphere and fiery urgency. It doesn’t insult our intelligence by telling us what is right or what is wrong, or what must or must not be done. It leaves us to deal with its truths, and no doubt that they must be dealt with (Even the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva praised it as cry for change). If there is a film that can teach about the never-ending circle of violence, or can prove that to defeat poverty is to defeat crime, this is it.

Note: Almost all of the teenagers portrayed in the film are actual residents of the City of God. All of them were provided with acting workshops, spiritual guidance and a support network. Because of their extraordinary performances, they have now received the notice of talent agencies. It’s nice to know that filmmakers did their best to help the children of these projects inside and outside of the movie. You can check out some of their personal stories at the film’s official website at http://cidadededeus.globo.com/.

Posted by FLIPCRITIC at August 18, 2003 12:00 AM