Cidade de Deus starts off in a frenzied manner and ends in the same frenzied panicky way. There are no moments of peace and the constant movement and hustling makes us as viewers almost feel the need to look over our backs with vigilance and caution.

The film recounts the madly dangerous times in the City of God or Rio de Janeiro during the 60’s to the 80’s where violence was the norm and lives held no meaning; one day it was the death of your neighbour, the next day it could be you, perfectly captures the stark reality and fear of that era.

Told from the perspective of Rocket, an aspiring photographer, we come to see how the bloodthirsty gangs and their leaders started off as (not so innocent) kids who made their chillingly premature leap into adulthood by robbing, killing and doing drugs. Out of these, the most notorious is Lil Z who is portrayed as a deranged drug lord whose only concern is power, control and greatness. On the other side is Carrot who is the (slightly) more peaceful of the two, and whose gang has somewhat more sympathetic members like Knockout Ned.

It is the battle for control between these two that plunges the favelas into terror, bleakness and bloodshed, and through Rocket’s narrative, perspective, and camera, we are hurled into this disturbing and yet fascinating world. To balance all these trigger-happy characters, we have the “coolest hoodlum in the City of God”, Benny, whose hippy grooviness and peaceful nature instantly make him an endearing character and whose sudden and unexpected death remind us that death here is just a sporadic gunshot away.

Directed in a hysteric and feverish manner to depict the fast-paced life (and death) in the favelas, the use of a hand-held camera, which seems to be rather jarring in the incipient stages, works to great effectiveness lending authenticity to every shot. The non-linear shifting of past to present and vice- versa is shown in such a brilliant manner, hurried beautifully once again, highlighting the creativity of director Fernando Meirelles.

The acting by all the characters is skilled and leaves nothing to be desired, an astonishing fact considering that, at the time of shooting, none of the actors were professionals.

A compelling and dark movie, charged with bloodlust, hate, and truth, City of God is a must-watch masterpiece.

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