cidade de deus (city of god)

Cidade de Deus (City of God) is easily the most violent, disturbing, and compelling film I've seen this year. The story is gutwrenching, the film is beautifully shot, and it's based on true events to boot.

Cidade de Deus (City of God) is a breathtakingly convincing interpretation of life in the notorious favela (housing project) built in the 1960s that became one of the most dangerous places in Rio de Janeiro in the early 80s. The narrator, Busca-Pé (Rocket), is a poor black youth too scared to become an outlaw but also too smart to be content with underpaid, menial jobs. He soon discovers that he can see reality differently than others. His redemption: he's been given an artist's point of view as a keen-eyed photographer.

Rocket doesn't determine the sequence of events. Nevertheless, his life is attached to what happens in the story. Through his perspective, we understand the complicated layers and humanity of a forsaken world, apparently condemned to endless violence.

Via Monsieur Law