The Sequence of Masterful Cinematography in City of God

City of God, (‘Cidade de Deus’ in Portugese) directed by Fernando Meirelles is crime film based on the novel of the same name, written by Paulo Lins in 1997, with the plot being quite loosely based on real events. Narrated primarily by a boy who has aspirations of becoming a famous photographer, the story primarily follows an escalating battle between rival gangs within the City of God. Specifically, City of God examines poverty and exclusion, looking at the cultural brutality of Brazilian society and this is successfully achieved through the representation of the city as a site of violence. In the film, Meirelles uses mainly amateur actors, location shooting, and handheld camera work to convey a sense of realism. Alongside this, the film continually makes use of extremely fast pacing and quick cuts as well as generally upbeat, pulsating Latin American percussion to represents the culture of Brazil as well as create a chaotic and intense feel. The stories within the favela are also constantly being interconnected and intertwined, conveying an enclosed community isolated from the outside world, creating a sense of exclusion. It is a contemporary example of modern Brazilian filmmaking, although it draws rather heavily from the Brazilian Cinema Novo, a film movement and genre influenced by Italian Neorealism and French New Wave that gained prominence in the country throughout the 1960’s and early 1970’s, being recognised for its emphasis on social equality. The film makes use of the favelas to show the marginality of Brazilian society as well as portray the darker side of the city and an alternate reality to what is commonly perceived about the city of Rio itself. Meirelles shows the evolution of the slums over time, using a non linear storytelling structure that methodically escalates into total chaos, following an aggressive narrative and stylistic structure.

As the title suggests, the film is centred around the City of God, where the poverty stricken favelas are plagued by economic as well as physical violence. Throughout the late twentieth century Brazil, and Rio de Janeiro in particular, suffered from widespread and institutionalized forms of violence, including things such as gang warfare and police corruption. It was also one of the most economically divided countries in the world, with an incredibly small wealthy class existing almost separately from the much larger poor, working class. Despite being on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, socially it is distant region characterized by a collapsing civil society as the narrator of the film introduces the City of God as a dumping ground, where the politicians dump their garbage, referring to the lowest classes of society being cast aside. The narrative never quite leaves the favela itself, as the hostile urban setting is often contrasted with the idyllic rural / beach life and lifestyle favoured and fantasized about by the youth. The desperation of the impoverished masses of City of God makes them lose perspective about all moral considerations.

Throughout the film, there are many influential parts, particularly the opening sequence as it characterizes and foreshadows the immense violence and anarchy seen within the film. It also establishes the chaotic mood of the film, while introducing important themes prevalent within the film itself. Meirelles uses a variety of cinematic elements to immediately depict the setting of the film, through the use of fast-paced editing, Latin American sound/music, and mise-en-scene in addition to varied shot types. These techniques allows the audience to be immersed in the culture within Rio and the favela, where life is incredibly fast, scary, yet at the same time vibrant which is represented in the film.

The sequence begins with a range of extreme close ups showing shots of extreme close ups of knives, cooking, and a tied up chicken in an elliptical style opening shot. It is rather unconventional and throws the audience immediately into center of action creating tension, intensity and intrigue. As well as this, the extremely fast-paced tempo of the sequence combined with the very upbeat soundtrack work together to create a dizzying effect and immediately disorientate the viewer. Finally, the repeated shots of the knife, form connotations of violence foreshadowing this recurring theme within the film, setting a violent undertone. Various extreme close ups of the setting are also used to detail the setting of the favel and highlight the deprivation and poverty highly present. As chicken escapes from captivity, the audience is introduced to Lil Zé for the first time as he gives orders to members of his gang to grab the chicken. He stands out slightly, based on his appearance and clothing, and his dominance in comparison to the other members of the favela is immediately portrayed by using low angled shots. Dutch close ups and extreme close ups of Lil Zé laughing maniacally are also used to show his craziness and foreshadow his mental instability seen within the story. Lil Zé is essentially representative of the favela itself, as he grew up with nothing, providing him with the drive to gain prosperity through drug trafficking and violence. As the group chase after the chicken, a rapid tracking shot is used to follow the pursuit depicting the speed and desperation of the animal, while also emphasising the bizarreness of the whole situation. The chicken itself is actually critical to this scene, as it acts as a metaphorical representation of the brutality and hardships of the streets of the favela. The manner in which the chicken is treated and harassed, also foreshadows how the people can be seen to be treated later in the film, and is reflective of what the inhabitants of the favela are forced to go through. Over the course of the pursuit, tremendously varied camera angles are used and reversed, in addition to the constantly moving handheld camera which act to simultaneously illustrate the environment of the chase but as well disorientate the viewer. Shots of the chicken fleeing are also captured from directly behind, at quite a low height, placing the viewer in the perspective of the chicken emphasising the anxiety of the situation, as well as further linking to the people of the favela desperately trying to escape their lives of misery.