Cidade de Deus (2002)

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Directors:

Fernando Meirelles
Kátia Lund (co-director)

Writers:

Paulo Lins (novel)
Bráulio Mantovani (screenplay)

Release Date:

2002 (Russia)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

If you run you're dead...if you stay, you're dead again. Period.

Plot:

Two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro take different paths: one becomes a photographer, the other a drug dealer.

Plot Keywords:

City Of God | Violence | Photographer | Growing Up | 1960s

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 49 wins & 25 nominations

Cast

Alexandre Rodrigues	...	Buscapé - Rocket
Leandro Firmino	...	Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé (as Leandro Firmino da Hora)
Phellipe Haagensen	...	Bené - Benny
Douglas Silva	...	Dadinho - Li'l Dice
Jonathan Haagensen	...	Cabeleira - Shaggy
Matheus Nachtergaele	...	Sandro Cenoura - Carrot
Seu Jorge	...	Mané Galinha - Knockout Ned
Jefechander Suplino	...	Alicate - Clipper
Alice Braga	...	Angélica
Emerson Gomes	...	Barbantinho - Stringy
Edson Oliveira	...	Barbantinho Adulto - Older Stringy
Michel de Souza	...	Bené Criança - Young Benny (as Michel De Souza Gomes)
Roberta Rodrigues	...	Berenice - Bernice
Luis Otávio	...	Buscapé Criança - Young Rocket
Maurício Marques	...	Cabeção - Melonhead
Gustavo Engracia	...	Editor do Jornal - Rogerio Reis
Darlan Cunha	...	Filé-com-Fritas - Steak and Fries
Robson Rocha	...	Gelson - Gerson
Thiago Martins	...	Lampião
Leandra Miranda	...	Lúcia Maracanã
Graziela Moretto	...	Marina Cintra (as Graziella Moretto)
Renato de Souza	...	Marreco - Goose
Karina Falcão	...	Mulher do Paraíba - Shorty's Wife
Sabrina Rosa	...	Namorada do Galinha - Knockout's Girlfriend
Rubens Sabino	...	Neguinho - Blacky
Marcos 'Kikito' Junqueira	...	Otávio
Edson Montenegro	...	Pai Buscapé - Rocket's Father
Gero Camilo	...	Paraíba - Shorty
Felipe Silva	...	Rafael
Daniel Zettel	...	Thiago - Tiago
Charles Paraventi	...	Tio Sam - Uncle Sam
Luiz Carlos Ribeiro Seixas	...	Touro
Paulo 'Jacaré' César	...	Tuba
Danielle Ornelas	...	Vizinha do Paraíba - Shorty's Neighbor (as Danielle Ornellas)
Bernardo Santos	...	Caixa Baixa - Runts
Diego Batista	...	Caixa Baixa - Runts
Diego Ferreira	...	Caixa Baixa - Runts
Marcio Vinicios	...	Caixa Baixa - Runts
Micael Borges	...	Caixa Baixa - Runts
Rafael de Castro	...	Caixa Baixa - Runts
Ramon Francisco	...	Caixa Baixa - Runts
Thiago Wallace	...	Caixa Baixa - Runts
Alexander Cerqueira	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Alexandre 'China' Tavares	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
André Pires Martins	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
António Rodrigues	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Bartolomeu Braga	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Carlos Henrique Avernas	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Cláudio César	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Cleiton Ventura	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Damião Firmino	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Euclides Garcia	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Fábio Castor Conceição	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Felipe Nogueira	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Ivan Martins	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
John Lima	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Jonas Michel	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Leandro Lucas	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Leandro Dias Batista	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Lúcio Andrey	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Luis Carlos Rodrigues Oliveira	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Luís Nascimento	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Marcello Melo Junior	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Márcio Costa	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang / Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Mário Luiz Costa Oliveira	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Nelson Amaral	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Omar 'Mazinho' Barcelos	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Otto Amorim	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Peter Soares	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Rafael de Souza	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Roberto Miguez	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Rómulo 'Guinomo' Sech	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Ruy Vitório	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Sérgio Bispo	...	Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Alex dos Santos	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Anderson Bruno Marques	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Anderson Lugão	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
André Luiz Mendes	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Antoni Guedes	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Bruno Ricardo	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Charles Samuel	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Éder Júlio Martins	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Eduardo 'BR' Piranha	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Erick Oliveira	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Fábio 'Dog' da Cunha	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Felipe Villela Mendonça	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Frederico Lins	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Guilherme Estevam	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Guilherme William	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Harlem Teixeira	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Leandro Gonçalves	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Leandro Lima	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Leiz Moreira	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Leonardo Melo	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Luis Carlos Oliveira	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Marcelo Melo	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang (as Marcello Melo)
Marcello 'Máscara' Alves	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Wallace Araújo	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Wallace Nascimento	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Wanderson 'Petão' Lopes	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Wellington Costa Ricardo	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Wemerson Gonçalves	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Wendel Barros	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Yuri Krushewsky	...	Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Anderson Faria	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Arlindo Lopes	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Carol Meirelles	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Carlos 'Lencinho' Smith	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Christiano	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Diego Mendes	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Jéssica da Silva	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Luciana Roque	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Marina Mandonça Pinheiro	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Michele Gonçalves	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Pierre dos Santos	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Renan Monteiro	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Vinicius Faria	...	Cocotas - Groovies
Delano Valentim	...	Polícia - Police
Ed Money	...	Polícia - Police
Fabiano Gonçalves	...	Polícia - Police
Felipe Porto	...	Polícia - Police
Francisco Marcos	...	Polícia - Police
Leo Generoso	...	Polícia - Police
Marcelo António Santos	...	Polícia - Police
Marcelo Araújo	...	Polícia - Police
Marcos Viana	...	Polícia - Police
Maurício Figueiras	...	Polícia - Police
Ricardo Lira	...	Polícia - Police
Ricardo Rocha da Silva	...	Polícia - Police
Wagner Mello	...	Polícia - Police
Waldeck Roque	...	Polícia - Police
Júlio César Siqueira	...	Aristóteles
Denise Fonseca	...	Ba
Adão Xalebaradã	...	Exu (as Adão dos Santos Thiago)
Edward Boggiss Lustosa	...	Garoto viciado - Addicted Kid
Guti Fraga	...	Gerente do supermercado - Supermarket Manager
Babu Santana	...	Grande - Big Boy (as Alexandre Santana)
Marcello Costa	...	Irmão Mané Galinha - Knockout Ned's Brother (as Marcelo Costa)
Marcos Coutinho	...	Irmão Mané Galinha - Knockout Ned's Brother
João Soares	...	Jabá
Rafael Fontenele	...	Jovem Trabalhador - Young Worker
Rosangela Rodrigues	...	Mãe Buscapé - Rocket's Mother
Jota Farias	...	Motorista do DKW - Driver
Mary Sheila	...	Mulher do Neguinho - Blacky's Wife (as Mary Sheyla de Paula)
Gil Torres	...	Mulher do Ônibus - Woman on Bus
Paulo Lins	...	Pastor da Igreja - Shepherd of the Church
Christian Duurvoort	...	Paulista - Man from São Paulo
Olivia Araújo	...	Recepcionista do Motel - Motel Receptionist (as Olívia Araújo)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sérgio Chapelin	...	Himself - Reporter (archive footage) (uncredited)
Tulé Peak	...	Newspaper Employee (uncredited)

Directed by
Fernando Meirelles
Kátia Lund		(co-director)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Paulo Lins		novel
Bráulio Mantovani		screenplay

Produced by
Andrea Barata Ribeiro	....	producer
Marc Beauchamps	....	co-producer
Bel Berlinck	....	line producer
Daniel Filho	....	co-producer
Hank Levine	....	co-producer
Vincent Maraval	....	co-producer
Mauricio Andrade Ramos	....	producer
Donald Ranvaud	....	executive producer (as Donald K. Ranvaud)
Juliette Renaud	....	co-producer
Walter Salles	....	executive producer
Elisa Tolomelli	....	line producer

Original Music by
Ed Cortês
Antonio Pinto

Cinematography by
César Charlone

Film Editing by
Daniel Rezende

Production Design by
Tulé Peak

Costume Design by
Bia Salgado
Inês Salgado

Makeup Department
Donna Meirelles	....	makeup artist
Anna Van Steen	....	makeup designer

Production Management
René Bittencourt	....	production manager
Claudine Franco	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lamartine Ferreira	....	assistant director
Malu Miranda	....	third assistant director
Isabella Teixeira	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Bia Pessoa	....	art painter
Bia Pessoa	....	special paint effects
Rafael Ronconi	....	assistant production designer
Severo Santos	....	assistant art producer

Sound Department
Guilherme Ayrosa	....	sound
Lisa Geffcken-Reinhard	....	dialogue editor
Martín Hernández	....	sound designer
Carlos Honc	....	sound
Alessandro Laroca	....	sound
Samuel Mendoza	....	foley artist
Paulo Ricardo Nunes	....	sound
Rudy Pi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Alejandro Quevedo	....	sound
Pradip Romay	....	sound editor
Adam Sawelson	....	sound
Unsun Song	....	sound re-recordist
Roland N. Thai	....	sound effects editor

Visual Effects by
Renato Batata	....	visual effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Pablo Baião	....	second assistant camera (as Pablo Giannini Baião)
Francisco Bispo	....	best boy
Roberto Brito	....	electrician
Lula Carvalho	....	first assistant camera
Cristiano Conceição	....	assistant camera: second unit
Amarildo Cruz	....	electrician
Breno Cunha	....	assistant camera: second unit
Alexandre Dantas	....	video assistant: second unit
Pablo Hoffmann	....	video assist operator
Sérgio Isidoro	....	gaffer
Márcio Manhães	....	assistant electrician
Clóvis Marinho	....	assistant grip
Paulo Miranda	....	grip
Mário Moraes	....	grip
Julia Schmidt	....	third assistant camera
Vitor Scola	....	assistant grip
Fabricio Tadeu	....	Steadicam operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Patricia Monteiro	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Alessandra Casolari	....	post-production coordinator
João Cutileiro Nunes	....	first assistant editor
Fred Ricci	....	assistant editor
Ana Teixeira	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Simon Katz	....	featured musician
Armando Torres Jr.	....	music mixer assistant

Other crew
John Kaylin	....	dubbing producer
Maria Fatima Toledo	....	coach

Production Companies

• O2 Filmes
• VideoFilmes
• Globo Filmes (co-production)
• Lereby Productions (co-production)
• Studio Canal (co-production)
• Wild Bunch (co-production)

Distributors

• Buena Vista International (2003) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (2003) (UK) (theatrical)
• Constantin Film (2003) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Kamras Film Group (2003) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Kulturföreningen Kedjan (2003) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Mars Distribution (2003) (France) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (2003) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Triangelfilm (2003) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Asmik Ace Entertainment
• DeA Planeta Home Entertainment (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Future Film (2004) (Finland) (DVD) (VHS)
• Gativideo (2003) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2003) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Highlight Film (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Imagem Filmes (Brazil) (DVD)
• Imagem Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Lighthouse Pictures (Singapore)
• MegaCom Film (MCF) (Yugoslavia) (all media)
• Mikado
• Miramax Films (Australia)
• Miramax Films (Italy)
• Miramax Films (Latin America)
• Nelonen (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• New Age Entertainment (2003) (Portugal) (all media)
• Pan Vision (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (video)
• With Cinema (Korea)

Special Effects

• M.M. Artes Técnicas (special effects)

Other Companies

• Marcão Alimentação  catering
• Milan Records  soundtrack released by
• Post Logic Studios  digital film mastering
• Yazbek e Portaro Advogados  legal services

Also Known As:

City of God (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
God's Town (International: English title)
La cité de Dieu (France)
Ciudad de Dios (Argentina) (International: Spanish title) (Spain) [es]
Cidade de Deus (Portugal) [pt]
Città di Dio (Italy) [it]
City of God (Finland) [fi]
City of God (Germany) (video title) [de]
City of God (Norway) [no]
Grad bogova (Serbia) [sr]
Guds by (Denmark) [da]
Guds stad (Sweden) [sv]
I poli tou Theou (Greece) [el]
Mesto bohov (Slovakia) [sk]
Mesto bohu (Czech Republic) [cs]
Miasto boga (Poland) [pl]
Shithî obu goddo (Japan) [ja]
Tanri kent (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong brutal violence, sexuality, drug content and language.

Runtime:

130 min | Canada:135 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Brazil | France

Language:

Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 (video rating) (version 2) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | South Korea:18 | Israel:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Brazil:16 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:III | Italy:T | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:R21

Filming Locations:

Cidade de Deus, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Company:

O2 Filmes

Trivia:

The shot where we see a lot of dead bodies lying on huge blocks of concrete was recreated from an award-winning photograph taken during the drug war portrayed in the movie.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When the Tender Trio are running away into the woods after they crashed into a neighbor's house, Shaggy says that Goose messed up his ankle but it's actually Clipper. Goose's ankle is fine.

Quotes:

Buscapé: It was like a message from God: "Honesty doesn't pay, sucker."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Vengeance Is Mine: Reinventing 'Man on Fire' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hot Pants Road

Cidade De Deus

The film, directed by Fernando Meirelles, tells the story of life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, in an area known as the Cidade De Deus, the City of God. The story is told from the narration of the young photographer, Rocket. The different scenarios of life that make up the wider-story are presented in Pulp Fiction style chapters, complete with on-screen titles for each different story component. The story covers all the facets of the life, charting the growth of several key members of the gangs from childhood through to young adulthood, with their transformation from young hoodlums to local drugs barons. The final parts of the story focus on the battle within the Cidade De Deus between two different groups, when business and personal matters lead to an unavoidable confrontation. And what a confrontation it is, although details will not be given away here. The result is a powerful telling of life based around real-life events.

Martin Scorsese seems to have a heavy influence on the direction of this picture, with many moments looking familiar to fans of the legendary American filmmaker. Close ups, sweeping scene shots, freeze-and-zoom shots, and a frenzied handheld approach are all trademarks that will be recognisably traceable to Scorsese, having been used throughout his career. Many shots remind the viewer of Scorsese's narrative dialogue-camera relationship in Goodfellas, in which the camera was used to brilliant effect to highlight the main points in the script. This technique is used heavily in the first twenty minutes of Cidade De Deus, with the freeze frame trick being used to introduce the story's main characters alongside the dialogue of narrator, Rocket.

Throughout the film one cannot help but watch a scene and think, 'I've seen that in Raging Bull, Goodfellas, or Casino', and this may make some look less favourably on the film's direction. However, it is not fair to consider this 'a Brazilian Goodfellas', as one critic has observed. The story has parallels - the underlying ideas of gangsters, drugs and violence -, the direction is similar, and the story is told with narration, much like Ray Liotta's role in Scorsese's epic. But to regard this film in terms of what styles it repeats or nods it's hat to, is to be very ignorant. Fernando Meirelles, has done a wonderfully hypnotic job of blending the old styles, and bringing them up to date with flashy and sometimes dangerously kinetic direction and editing. Look only to the leaving-party scene in which strobe lighting is used to extraordinary effect, almost suffocating the story below a bombardment on the visual senses. Think of a crossover between the visual energy of the Matrix and the violence of the club scene in Bad Boys.

Cidade De Deus is much more than a directorial assault on the senses. As Raul Walsh said if you don't have a story you have nothing, and many flashy Hollywood films have fallen short in using 'ultra-modern' direction to disguise the fact that no substantial story exists underneath. Cidade De Deus is most brilliant in that it combines directorial and editorial brilliance with a story that is almost second to none in recent times. Only the true greats manage to cater to these two needs of cinema, and this is one that does. The direction is amazing, but not to disguise the story flaws, and the story is brilliant, but does not overwhelm directorial originality. But simply, Cidade De Deus is a perfect film for avid fans of cinematography, and those just in search of two hours of a bloody good story.

I cannot decide yet if I would consider this better than Amores Perros, but it is certainly not inferior. The at-the-same-time stylish and brutal visuals of Amores Perros are replaced by a grittier, more hands on approach to the subject. Whilst in Amores Perros the characters took precedent, in Cidade De Deus the location is as big a character as those who live there. As a result we get a much greater feeling of the environment in which the characters exist, and so it is perhaps easier to empathise, and/or sympathise with them. As the official press synopsis says, Cidade De Deus is a character, but is a place not a person. Amores Perros triumphs in creating relationships between the audience and the characters, as it concentrates for a long time on relatively few people, each of whom we grow to know and ultimately care about, which is important for the emotional impact of the film. Cidade De Deus deals with dozens, even hundreds, of characters, and so it is only a minority that we become attached to. This means that while the film leaves a lasting impact we are not left with the same inquisitiveness about the future for the characters that we meet in Amores Perros. Both films leave open ends, but Cidade De Deus feels closed. Whether you consider this a good or bad thing is a matter for personal choice.

Cidade De Deus is essential viewing, and is cinema at its most brilliant. It will of course feel the wrath of critics who will dwell on the almost unimaginably high body count, but there are always those who will reject violence in the movies. In fact the violence in Cidade De Deus, even the apocalyptic ending, is not as raw and bloody as many will expect. Blood spilling is a rare sight, and the violence rests mostly, but not always, on choreography rather than in your face bloodshed. The result is violence, but it is often so artistic that it looks beautiful rather than deterring. Like Scorsese's Taxi Driver the violence is abhorrent, but admirable from a cinematic perspective.

In short, this is a superb achievement, and is easily one of the best films of the year, and of the decade so far. Like it's predecessors, this is the latest film to come out of South America that indicates the emergence of major new talent in filmmaking. Hollywood beware.