City of God (2002)
"If you run, the beast catches you; if you stay, the beast eats you."
We find ourselves in the City of God. A city that lucks everything we have seen. In this city gangs, drugs and violence are dominant. Life is tough, and you have to fight in order to survive. If you are lucky you could live through the age of 20 but you will lose something far more important, your childhood. "Rocket" is a child living in the City of God in the 60s and the only thing that he loves is photography. But sometimes you cannot choose your future.
This movie is so powerful and authentic unlike anything else I have ever seen. And that is because it screams "Reality". It shows us, how difficult life is for some people in ways that we cannot even imagine. Away from the comfort of our lives. The movie doesn't overreact. It isn't polite. It's goal isn't the happy ending. It's goal is to show you simply how things are. The cost of life is nonexistent, survival can be accidental in a gang-ruled city and with the police being absolutely absent and bought.
Based on the book of the same name by Paulo Lins, who moved to the "City of God" at the age of 7, this movie was a huge success in Brazil and was nominated for four Oscars and many other awards. It is absolutely worth seeing, but you should be prepared for something you have never seen before!!
Genre: Drama, Crime
Directed by: Fernando Meirelles
Written by: Bráulio Mantovani, Paulo Lins
