By JON HOCHSCHARTNER--
"City of God”, a 2002 Brazilian crime drama, is set in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, where the dogs roam hungry, children are shot in the street and the cocaine trade rules all. The film is narrated by Rocket (Alexandre Rodriguez), a boy who yearns to become a photographer and escape the grinding poverty of his surroundings. But more than telling Rocket’s story, “City of God” tells the story of a generation of slum children, from their pre-pubescent beginnings in the 1960s, to their violent takeover of the underworld, to their inevitable downfall in the 1970s--at the hands of children all too similar to those they had once been. The performances are impressive and even more so knowing most of the actors were amateurs found in favelas. "City of God" is a beautifully shot, tragic,though often funny picture, that many critics have aptly compared to "Goodfellas" in terms of style and subject. I’m proud to say I caught this one shortly after its international release, and think it’s undeniably one of the best films of the 2000s.
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