Cidade de Deus is a crime drama based on the true story of a Brazilian gang war fought between two street youths, Knockout Ned and Li’l Zé. The film was recommended to me a few weeks ago by a cousin who was eager to introduce it to someone else. ‘Did you watch it yet?’ he’d say with excitement every time I saw him. ‘Yeah, yeah,’ I’d nod, “I’ll get to it. Relax.’ It took some time thanks to a busy work schedule and a laundry list of household repairs, but after catching up, the window of opportunity finally presented itself.

Cidade de Deus is told from the point of view of Rocket, an honest and ambitious young photographer living in the drug and crime infested ‘City of God.’ Rocket narrates the story of Rio de Janeiro’s slum violence from his point of view. The problems narrated come from the rise and fall of the young street hoods that, in some way, all affect young Rocket’s path. The entire story is told through a series of separate events that all intertwine together. Some of the side stories include, The Story of the Tender Trio, which recounts the early days of crime in the ‘City of God’ and Rocket’s brothers’ involvement, and The Story of Li’l Zé, which narrates how this antagonist came to power through his violent childhood.

These kids went through so much that it made me question my own inconsequential complaints.

‘What?! The McDonald’s 20-piece Chicken McNugget deal is over? Curse that stingy clown to hell.’ Minutes later a 14 year old drug dealer would get popped over the head with the back of a revolver.

Despite the prevalence of these overwhelming acts of violence, the co-directors (Fernando Meirelles, and Kátia Lund) did a good job of interspersing light scenes throughout the film. The farewell party for Li’l Zé’s friend and Rocket’s continuous efforts at losing his virginity maintain the sparkle of youth, while at the same time taking nothing away from the point of the movie.

From start to finish Cidade de Deus kept my attention and was a worthy example of an independent film at its finest. Despite the fact that many new characters are introduced, the main characters are developed and focused enough to keep the audience caring about them. My cousin was glad to hear I liked it with an emphatic ‘I told you so,’ and just like him, I highly recommend it. In fact, my only complaint is that I hadn’t watched it sooner.