Plot: The Tender Trio

• The film follows a young aspiring photographer, Rocket, and the stories of the people around him. The first story begins with his older brother and his 2 other friends, nicknamed the “Tender Trio,” who rob and loot business owners. They live in the beginnings of the slums that the rest of the film is later based in. Eventually the three boys are torn apart. One sees the error of his ways through a religious vision and joins a church – Clipper. One tries to leave the slums with a girl he loves but is shot to death by the police while escaping - Shaggy. And the last, Rocket’s older Brother, has an affair with a married woman and is then shot to death by Li’l Dice while trying to get away.

Plot: Li’l Ze

• Li’l Dice changes his name and along with his friend Benny take over a drug dealer business. All is going well. Benny befriends a boy who gets him lots of expensive clothes. He also becomes romantically involved with a girl that Rocket likes. Rocket and his friend discuss getting work that doesn’t involve drugs. He eventually gets a job at a newspaper department. Benny plans on leaving the favela with his girlfriend but is shot to death at his leaving party.

Plot: Knockout Ned

• After Benny’s death, Li’l Ze rapes the girlfriend of a man named Knockout Ned and then kills several members of his family. Ned joins forces with Carrot to get justice and a civil war breaks out between the two gangs of favela. Knockout Ned and Carrot’s friendship grows. Knockout Ned is shot and ends up in hospital. Rocket takes some picture of Li’l Ze and his gang, which are stolen and end up in the newspaper. Fearing for his life, unbeknown to Rocket Li’l Ze is enjoying the attention.

Plot: Final Showdown

• The movie is brought back to the present. While chasing a chicken through the favela, Li’l Ze and his gang stumble upon Rocket. The police arrive and there appears to be a showdown but Li’l Ze’s gang scare them off. Li’l Ze then tells Rocket to take a picture of him and as he does so Knockout Ned’s gang arrives. A shot off happens between the two gangs, where several of the members are shot dead. Knockout Ned is killed by a boy avenging the death of his Father. Carrot is arrested. And Li’l Ze after paying off the police is shot to death by the runts. Rocket photographs the whole event. The film ends with the Runts walking off while they discuss who to kill next

Character Profile

• Name: Rocket• Personality: intelligent, desperate, • Status of power: civilian in the favela• Role in the film: narrator

Character Profile• Name: Li’l Ze• Personality: ruthless, crazy, intimidating,

reckless, corrupt• Status of power: head of a gang• Role in the film: his story juxtaposes Rocket’s

by going down a life of violence and drugs

Character Profile• Name: Knockout Ned• Personality: considerate, justified, strong,

influential• Status of power: head of a gang, previously a

civilian• Role in the film: he represents the nature of

good in the City of God

Details

• Official Sites: lighthouse pictures [Singapore] (English) | Mars Distribution (French)

• Country: Brazil, France• Language: Portuguese• Release Date: 3 January 2003 (UK)• Also Known As: City of God• Filming Locations: Cidade de Deus, Rio de

Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Box Office

• Budget: $3,300,000 (estimated)• Opening Weekend: $21,728 (South Africa) (5th

September 2003)• Gross: $7,563,397 (USA) (18th June 2004)• Distributed by Miramax Films (US), Buena Vista

International

Technical Details

• Runtime: 130 min | 135 min• Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, SDDS• Colour: Colour• Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

Awards

It has won awards for:• Lots of Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best

Sound, Best Film, Best Director• Best International Feature Film (AFI Fest, 2002) • Best Foreign Independent Film (British

Independent Film Awards, 2003)• Discovery of the Year (World Soundtrack

Awards, 2003)

Reviews• Mostly positive reviews – although some find it hard to

understand its deep message

• Rotten Tomatoes = 90% (Critics), 97% (Audience)

• “The City of God is a marvel, and a highly recommended film to watch, but not recommended for the over-sensitive or easily distressed.” - trelloskilos-1 (IMDb)

• “A shocking and disturbing, but always compelling look at life in the slums of Rio de Janiero.” - Critics Consensus (Rotten Tomatoes)

• Not loved as much by Action/Adventure fans

Influence on its audience

• The film has provoked a great deal of intellectual discussion in the way that it represents this reality and has been criticised by some theorists of Latin American Cinema as depicting the ‘cosmetics of hunger’ as opposed to the ‘aesthetics of hunger’.

• so devastating was its reception that: the Prime Minister, Alain Juppe, responded by commissioning a special screening of the film for the cabinet, which ministers were required to attendJohnston, 1995