23rd Tuesday:City of God

City of God (Portuguese: Cidade de Deus) is a 2002 Brazilian crime drama film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund.


It was adapted from the 1997 novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins which was based on a true story. It depicts the growth of organized crime in this Rio de Janeiro suburb, between the end of the '60s and the beginning of the '80s.

Youth gangs took over the slums of Rio de Janiero during this era ,and didn't relinquish their stronghold until the mid-1980s.
Only a sucker wouldn't have turned to crime and this is exactly how naive teen Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) views himself. His attempts in illegal activity fail as he finds potential victims too friendly and he is equally unsuccessful in love.
Blood spills throughout the streets of the Ciudad de Deus as the 'infallible' gang leader Li'l Ze is challenged by local drug lords and a gang of pre-teens known as the Runts.
Rocket shoots all of this action with his weapon of choice, a camera.

Director Fernando Meirelles combines visual flashiness with dark history in telling the story of three decades of unrest in underground Rio de Janiero. Technically flawless, the Brazilian film uses a rapid-cutting style to flash back and forth in time