Review of City of God (2002) by Michael T — 19 Feb 2012

This film is an intriguing piece of cinema which never fails to deliver. It is a story composed of many stories, each about the often deadly affairs of those living in a Rio De Janeiro slum. The protagonist, an aspiring photographer, narrates this in such a way that it becomes like a series of vignettes, like if he took them with his camera. This actually enhances the film however, as it is comparable to how one would remember such experiences.

A crucial point is that the characters of film can be related to by all, and make this film feel 'alive'. This is what drives the drama, and means you won't want to stop watching this until the end. City of God may be by some accounts harrowing, because of the frequent misery many of the characters face, but once getting beyond that this film becomes an exploration of interesting real lives, something many Hollywood films fail to deliver on these days.