City of God: Cinematic Portrayal of Violence

City of God (2002) is a film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund. This coming of age story follows "Two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro take different paths: one becomes a photographer, the other a drug dealer" (IMDb). Although the film is much, much more than just that synopsis  that is what it comes down to at its most basic plot point.

The portrayal of violence is shown through the narrator, Rocket. Rocket witnesses this violence first at a personal level, but still far away from the action. Rocket, who grows up to be a photographer finds himself getting stuck in unwanted situations from his childhood days. In a way, he represents what the audience sees because he is the character who controls what we, as the audience, can see and know to be true. Rocket is like a link from the life in the favelas and the rest of the world because as stated by Rocket: "For the powerful our problems didn't matter. We were too far removed." Even the people who work in the newspaper with Rocket and write stories about the favelas don't enter because it is too deadly for them.

"The favela is also a site of gendered violence. The City

of God is represented as almost exclusively male, and

women's bodies simply provide another site for the men to

carry out violence against one another."

In the movie, the primary directory (Fernando Meirelles) uses women is a very limited way. Wom
en in the movie are a symbol of escape and freedom from the destructive live in the favelas. The lack of a major role for women shows the lack of escape from this life of violence. The two strongest female characters in the movie are Angelica and Bernice. They both encourage their males partners to escape for a life far away from the poverty and violence. Because of this, they both lose their man and therefore they are indirectly victims of the violence. These both incidents at two different time periods show that violence will always remain the same; as long violence exists, escape is not an option.

"Throughout the film, infact, the boys are told (most often by their victims) to stop

committing crimes and study. The story of Knockout Ned at

first appears to be a moral tale on the power of education,

but the tale unfolds very differently."

Furthermore, not even education is enough for an escape. There are many "Runts" running around in the city. They are incredibly young to involved in the violence in the caliber that they are. Many of the young, like those the age of the "Runts" are told to get an education and get out of the favelas. In this scene from the movie, the Runts are surrounded by L'il Ze and his men. The directed opts for the lack of music in this powerful scene to show the realistic effects of violence on children and their involvement in this lifestyle. However, escaping from that lifestyle is not so simple. Knockout Ned is a heroic figure to Rocket for being "too cool." He got an education and even served in the military, yet he ends up becoming a major gang leader. There is a glimpse of hope when the entire city begins looking up to him as someone who has the potential to stop the violence. However, he is corrupted by the power he gains by working with Carrot. He goes from not killing the innocent to shooting anyone who defiles his orders. Although there is still good inside him, he has gone too far into the world of chaos and disorder that there is no more return to his old honest life.

"Rocket uses the camera to obliterate his rival, Tiago,

composing his pictures and directing his subjects so as to

throw Tiago into shadow...His

amateur photography becomes the proof of status that

allows Rocket safe passage and a measure of respect;

while the other characters are perpetually armed with

conventional weaponry, Rocket is protected by his camera."

Although it is hard to escape from the life of violence, it is fairly easy for it to become the normal because after a while "you got used to living in Vietnam." Although everyone does not have something protecting them other than a gun, Rocket does; he has is camera. In a way, the camera is Rocket's gun. In that, it gives him respect from the biggest gangsters and a way to escape their wrath when the time came. When Rocket is about to take a photograph of everyone in the group in the middle of the street, a gunshot is fired at the exact time the shutter clicks to take the picture. His subject is shot from the gunfire coming form behind Rocket. This scene serves as a way to show that Rocket's camera is protecting him. Being associated with a camera gives Rocket a voyeuristic privilege. He gets to spy on others from a safe distance. This is reflected though the film's cinematography.  César Charlone, the film's cinematographer, goes opts to go for a hand-held look which reflect's the narrator's occupation as a photographer. Also, giving the film such a hand-held look makes it feel more personal and realistic rather than cinematic. The use of real locations in crowded buildings with sweaty men and minimal lighting adds to the sense of realism that Meirelles was trying to convey.

"The City of God is plagued by economic as well as

physical violence. Attempts by the poor to earn a living are

obstructed by the system, as when Rocket is forced to

abandon his fish, his family's livelihood, on the side of the

road."

In the City of God, violence and poverty go hand-in-hand just like in real life. From early on in the film, it feels that both crime and poverty are inescapable. "In the early segments of the film, shown as a direct response to poverty. In the first sequence, set in the 1960s, the 'Tender Trio' hold up a gas truck." Although this is an act of violence against the driver, it is also an act of heroism for the side of the city. They don't simply steal gas and money; they provide a small glimpse at escape from the poverty. The trio feels the need to do this because they are doing this to provide "money to the smaller boys and to their families." Although this is taken lightly to set up a comedic tone, it serves a greater purpose because it shows that all violence is not more violence. This is contradictory to Rocket's statement: "War was an excuse for everything." Even under L'il Ze's reign, the city is under protection and there is peace. This just goes to show that violence will not always instantly result in more violence; it is just inevitable in the future.

"The film in fact suggests that violence

defies not only representation, but also explanation.

Motives are suggested - evilness, vengeance, territorialism,

animal instinct, initiation, and self-definition - but none

seem adequate to explain the omnipresence of violence in

the favela."

As seen later on violence does erupt and it is to the max. Where once the 'Tender Trio' had once help up a gas truck to try to save the city, L'il Ze holds up a similar truck for his own escape. Prior to that, both sides (Knockout Ned's and L'il Ze's) are recruiting anyone willing to fight. This is shown through a montage which uses quick cuts with multiple close-up and medium close-up of young boys. They all sort of repeat a similar "unbelievable" reason to get a gun and fight. This is followed by quick gun shots and firefights and more young boys again. The quick moving shots in this montage not just shows the passing of time without any change, but also the intensity of the fights. These same quick shots are present throughout the movie involving any action. Combined with the hand-help camerawork, they become powerful tools in preserving realism in the film and its violence.  

Source:
http://cinephile.ca/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/carlsten-cityofgod.pdf