City of God
City of God is a 2002 Brazilian crime film co-directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, released in its home country in 2002 and worldwide in 2003. Bráulio Mantovani adapted the story from the 1997 novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins, but the plot is loosely based on real events. It depicts the growth of organized crime in the Cidade de Deus suburb of Rio de Janeiro, between the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1980s, with the film's closure depicting the war between the drug dealer Li'l Zé and vigilante-turned-criminal Knockout Ned. The tagline is "If you run, the beast catches you; if you stay, the beast eats you."
Plot
The film begins in medias res with an armed gang chasing after an escaped chicken in a favela called the Cidade de Deus ("City of God"). The chicken stops between the gang and the narrator, a young man nicknamed Rocket ("Buscapé").
Cast
- Alexandre Rodrigues
- Alice Braga
- Arlindo Lopes
- Babu Santana
- Charles Paraventi
- Dani Ornellas
- Daniel Zettel
- Darlan Cunha
- Douglas Silva
- Edward Boggis
- Gero Camilo
- Graziella Moretto
- Jonathan Haagensen
- Leandro Firmino
- Marcello Melo
- Mary Sheyla
- Matheus Nachtergaele
- Micael Borges
- Michel Gomes
- Olívia Araújo
- Paulo Lins
- Phellipe Haagensen
- Renato de Souza
- Roberta Rodrigues
- Sérgio Chapelin
- Seu Jorge
- Thiago Martins
More details
author | Bráulio Mantovani Paulo Lins |
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contentLocation | Rio de Janeiro |
director | Fernando Meirelles Kátia Lund |
editor | Daniel Rezende |
genre | crime drama |
keywords | church comando vermelho date dead body drug dealer drug trade favela gang war hippie housing project impoverish in medias res kill murder older brother open petty criminal photography publish red brigade shoot their way trying to escape walk warn young boy young man |
musicBy | Antonio Pinto |
nomination | Academy Award for Best Cinematography Academy Award for Best Director Academy Award for Best Film Editing Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay European Film Award for Best Non-European Film |
producer | Andrea Barata Ribeiro Mauricio Andrade Ramos |
productionCompany | Hank Levine Film O2 Filmes VideoFilmes |
publisher | Miramax |
recordedAt | Rio de Janeiro |
theme | coming-of-age gangster hood narrative teen drama |