City of God. Directed by Fernando Meirelles, 02 Filmes, VideoFilmes, Hank Levine Film, Globo Filmes, 2002.
How would you describe a city to a foreigner? Would you lead them towards the tourist attractions? Would you shop with them at the high-end department stores? Would you take them to historical monuments and landmarks? But there are images you can just look up online. It’s already a city any foreigner knows. But a city is far more than the pristine images printed on postcards. Images can never be enough for anything. They don’t show you kids shooting other kids with real guns. They don’t show you the violence done against women. They don’t show you the neglect and ruin the marginalized are left to deal with. If someone asks you how beautiful Brazil really is, tell them to watch City of God.