Father Geek with a Latin-AICN report from deep in the Brazilian Rain Forest, a review of a film I've heard nothing but GREAT things about... Here's Folco...
Folco Gamgee here, from Brazil.
I just saw CITY OF GOD, which has open here in Brazil for over two weeks. I don´t know if you need any reviews of this, like, what would you care? You spent six days with Tarantino, Uma Thurman and Sonny Chiba, you bastard! But here you go:
City of God
I´ve been hearing a lot about this movie and how everyone is loving it. Well, everyone is right. This is by far the best film ever made in Brazil, better than Central Station, or Behind The Sun. It portrays what is life in the ghetto of Rio de Janeiro in a really shocking manner, it´s the kind of movie you leave the theater feeling bad about your life. The film may not be completely original or revolutionary, but it´s one of the best of it´s genre. I mean, while I was watching this I would constantly remember movies like Boogie Nights, or Goodfellas. Director Fernando Meirelles is borrowing small elements from the best.
It has a huge amount of characters and it manages to develop each and every one of them. It tells the story over a 10-year period, from the late 60s to the late 70s, and it´s all narrated by the protagonist, a kid who doesn´t want to turn into a criminal like all other kids and teenagers around him. The story has it´s moments, like the scene where a kid has to choose between killing one of his two friends. Moments of strong impact that take City of God to the next level and not just any other crime or gangster movie. And the movie has also that feel of the 70s. That cool groovy feeling, again, like in Boogie Nights.
The direction is great, although there are moments in which the story doesn´t flow quite right, especially in the beginning of the film, and some weird editing techniques. But the photography is awesome, really beautiful and the sound track has typical Brazilian music, fitting perfectly with the mood. When a movie is that beautiful (or shocking) to look at, it just makes it all more entertaining. And the acting in this film, seeing that most of the actors aren´t really actors, is amazing. You even care about the villains like Zé Pequeno(or whatever is the translation of his name, something like Little Joe) because everybody is so charismatic and everybody has their own motivations. Cool characters all around.
I believe this can be a contender for this year´s Oscar as a Best Foreign film. Of course, other films show up and take the nomination away from City of God, but I haven´t seen many that can this year. And I do hope it wins an Oscar, although a little tricky, so that it may help filmmaking here in Brazil become more popular and that´s a good thing for me, since I´m interested in this career. I heard this movie is going to open in US with a wide release in 2003. Be sure to check this out.
Harry, seu site detona! Hehehe! "Apple sauce, bitch!"
Folco
