| Unforgettable
"City of God"
I
cannot describe in words what I felt when I watched the movie
"City of God" made by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia
Lund. I can say, however, that it is a mixture of indignation
and fear, pride and satisfaction, sorrow and reflection...
There
is almost everything in this movie. It swallows us, we seem
to be in the middle of a hurricane and because of that we
leave the projection room exhausted by the great amount of
energy and vibration (plus an hectic rhythm) that characterize
"City of God" from its beginning until the end of
the film.
We
feel indignation (as I said on the beginning) because we are
aware that there are many neighborhoods spread in the cities
of Brazil that could also be called "City of God".
They look alike because of the violence, the raw streets,
the sewage running on open sky, the lack of opportunities
of work and education or, even, the way the authorities seem
to look at those situations, with no concern or worry.
We
are afraid (fear steps foward) because we don't know who we
can trust on. We distrust the policemen the same way we do
with the bandits. We think that our laws are not able to solve
our problems and that justice is slow (we even doubt the popular
idea that justice happens no matter how much time it will
take. The most we allow ourselves to believe in is in a divine
justice...). We are aware that innocent people can pay for
the mistakes of thieves. We are afraid to say no to drug dealers
that are in control of the neighborhoods we live in because
the immediate consequences of this disobedience can be our
own death or the assassination of our relatives.
On
the other side, there is an immense pride to know that brazilian
cinema is capable of producing wonderful and unforgettable
movies such as "City of God". It doesn't matter
whether the conservative voters of the Hollywood Academy allowed
or not the film to be on the contest of best foreign picture.
This attitude may be even a proof of the many qualities of
this movie. It was not made according to the patterns of Hollywood's
films. Photography, rhythm, music, the performance of the
actors (most of them amateurs that came from City of God,
the neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro), screenwrite, clothing
and all the other arrengements necessary to make the movie
were built in a harmonious shape resulting in a high quality
production.
There is also the satisfaction of knowing that the brazilian
cinema is mature enough to discuss and open space for social
concerns and, by this, allow more people to participate on
this debates (from the government to the students, from labor
unions to non-government institutions,...).
There
is plenty of space for a deep thinking. There is enough space
for the action of the authorities and the community. The movie
pulsates and seems to tell us that we must opinate about it.
We must leave our lethargy, our immobility and, motivated
by a deep and displeased sensation of dissatisfaction, promote
changes. How can we do this? Unfortunatelly it would be to
much to look for the answers in "City of God", it
gives us already a lot of gains. These answers are up to us...
The movie
"City
of God" has several stories, among all of them, two are
really special. They are about Dadinho (Douglas Silva) and
Buscapé (Luís Otávio as a boy and Alexandre
Rodrigues when the character is a young man). They are two
boys (in a place that counts them as thousands) of this neighborhood
of Rio de Janeiro where we can find humble families, with
a few possibilities, with low education and a lot of disposition
for the daily routine.
In
the City of God, as an undesirable parcel of the community,
there are thieves of varied levels. From the ones that steel
from gas trucks and motels to drug dealers that control the
community and establish rules and limits of tolerance on living
together in that neighborhood.
The
police, in this forbidden world, walk around and try to say
(specially through their violent actions) what they stand
for, specially when there are crimes that achieve the headlines
of the major newspapers of the state. In normal situations
the policemen wander in the neighborhood but don't guarantee
anything to the inhabitants of that place. It is very usual
to see police officers that are stimulating violence (even
against innocent workers or housewives) or tolerating the
action of drug dealers or thieves to get some money in exchange.
Buscapé
is a representative of the honest people of this community.
He wakes up early to work, to get everyday's bread and to
assure enough money for him and his family. He lives in a
corrupted world but he is not seduced by the easy money that
is gained by drugdealing (cocaine or marijuana) or by stealing
from houses or markets. He dreams to become a photographer
and work in an important newspaper.
Dadinho,
on the other side, is the devil since his early years of age.
He lives according to the law of jungle. He always has to
speak louder. He carries a gun that makes him respectable
and feared. Using the revolver is not a hard task to him,
specially if he needs to kill his enemies. He is inicially
a thief and, later on, becomes a drug dealer. Leaves his identity
as Dadinho on the past and becomes Zé Pequeno (Leandro
Firmino da Hora). He turns out to be the owner of the neighborhood
and, sided by his friend Benê (Phellipe Haagensen),
tries to conquer the only block of the "City of God"
that is not under his command. This area is controlled by
Sandro Cenoura (Matheus Nachtergaele).
"City
of God" puts us in the middle of a duel, just like a
cowboy movie, in an authentic "Kill or Die" situation.
Unforgettable! Astonishing! Frightening! Wonderful!
For
Teachers
1-
Search for books that discuss violence in Brazil.
Promote the reading of these books among your students so
that they can create a connection with the movie "City
of God". This may allow your work to accomplish a deeper
state and reach an academic status.
2-
It would be very important a field research in which the students
would interview lawyers, police chiefs, judges and policemen
so that they could understand the way the law system works
in Brazil. Not only to comprehend how everything is supposed
to function but also to see how is the everyday routine and
verify what those specialists think is necessary to improve
and be more efficient.
3-
Crime has, among other causes, social origins. This can be
verified on several researches made by attourneys, journalists,
law teachers, sociologists and historians. How could we justify
this thesis? Certainly by a close look on social and economic
rates made by serious institutions sucha as IBGE (Brazilian
Institute of Geography and Statistics) and DIEESE (A respected
Economic Research Institute in Brazil). How about working
with the information of this institutions to know a little
bit more about Brazil?
4-
The irony of the title of the movie (and name of
the neighborhood) "City of God" can originate an
interesting discussion about the way marginalized neighborhoods
are structured in the biggest cities of Brazil. Raw streets,
water and sewages running close to almost naked children,
absence of cultural and entertainment areas, houses made with
thin walls and 2 or 3 rooms, the inexistence of essential
services such as nursery schools or hospitals and many other
problems. How would God feels living in those "cities"?
Isn't it an heresy to call this neighborhoods "Cities
of God"?
João Luís Almeida Machado
Master Degree in Education, Arts and History
of Culture (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, in São
Paulo); Professor at Faculdade Senac in Campos do Jordão;
Middle and High School teacher; writes weekly columns for
the website Planeta Educação
Send e-mails, comments, suggestions and critics for:
profjoaoluis@planetaeducacao.com.br
Technical Information
City of God
(Cidade de Deus)
Country/year of production:- Brazil, 2002
Length of time/Gender:- 135 min., Drama
Director: Fernando Meirelles and Kátia
Lund
Screenwriter: Bráulio Mantovani (based
on the book by
Paulo Lins)
Cast:- Matheus Nachtergaele, Alexandre Rodrigues,
Leandro Firmino da Hora, Phellipe Haagensen, Seu Jorge, Douglas
Silva,
Luís Otávio, Roberta Rodrigues, Alice Braga.
Links
(in portuguese)
-
Official website: www.cidadededeus.com.br
- http://www.adorocinema.com/filmes/cidade-de-deus/cidade-de-deus.htm
- http://www.cineguia.com.br/index.shtml?cod_filme=CNA24517&rg=0
- http://e-pipoca.cidadeinternet.com.br/filmes_zoom.cfm?id=4432
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