WOW is the only way to describe this film. Quite possibly one of the best films I’ve ever seen - it’s an absolute gem and i can’t recommend it enough. It’s only just been released in the UK n very few cinemas are actually playing it so u might have to look around for it. I don’t think it’s even been released in the US yet.
Well anyway, here’s a short synopsis type thing, but be warned it aint for the light hearted - and it aint one to watch with your kids!
City of God: Art/Foreign, Crime/Gangster, Drama and Thriller
*Set on the mean streets of a Rio de Janeiro slum (in the “Cidade de Deus” housing project), this film follows two boys who grow up down differing paths (stretched across over 15 years, from the late 1960s to the early 1980s). One, Buscape (Rodrigues), becomes a photographer, the other becomes a drug dealer. The film follows their paths through a series of short stories, as we learn about the violent, often short lives of those wrapped up in the dangerous world of drugs and crime on Brazil’s cruelest area. *
Sobz, quit trying to impress us with this "I-watch-foreign-movies" sham and go back to your real self which is really watching cheezy, cheap Indian movies and shedding tears every time the hero is seperated from his mahbooba.
When did i ever make out i was a lil kid?
When did i ever make out i was a princess?
When did i ever wear pink pjs?
When did i ever tell you i watch foreign films?
If you don't like what I have to say, then don't read it. IT'S THAT SIMPLE.
The one thing about the UK I miss is the little art house cinemas and Channel 4's late night cinema of the world. I watched many Chinese and African films whilst growing up, South American too. It seems that the vast majority of the world has not lost the sense of wonderment in filmmaking and can still tell an ordinary story in an extraordinary way. I can't remember any of the titles but am happy enough for having watched them.
I’ll certainly try and get hold of this on DVD as soon as it’s out.
They showed this in my dorm last week, I missed it (beauty sleep).
Every friggin' week they show some lame art movie or the other. If it's foreign, you're stuck there reading subtitles messing with yer eyeballs. I'm sick of it. I put in a request for some damn hindi movie sometimes for Heaven's Sakes. They brought home that God forsaken Umrao Jaan. I mean, what gives?
Thapo, I couldn't agree more. I've grown sick of all the tripe coming out of Hollywood, and European cinema seems to be following suite. The Chinese produce the most amazing stuff - Ch4 just had this Chinese fest going on n boy was on in heaven! Go get City of God. It's really really really REALLY violent but ur heart goes out to the characters as it's based on a true story. All the actors were picked from the slums and none of them had any professional acting experience but they sure could give the likes of Brad Pitt n Leo Dicaprio a run for their money.
Ana, isn’t the reading of subtitles half the fun of watching foreign films? I even read ‘em when I watch Indian films, even though my Hindi is better than my Patwari!
I don't know about people's acting and I care less. If the story is good, I'll watch it. For me, some foreign films leave the impression that they either were made in a hurry or in a dream. They seem either too rushed or too slow. I sat thru a whole week of Chinese movies during Xmas break. I had looked forward to it, but they turned out quite boring, except the documentaries which are nearly always watchable, because that's real life. Fiction is not something that I care for in foreign films. Watched "Baji at the Beach" (or was it "Party at the beach"?) last week: immediately forgettable anglo-indian dramatized film. Long drawn-out, and the comedy they attempt is lukewarm at best.
I donno. I can't appreciate cinematically-created entertainment exploring "life". It's just a farce to me. That's why I prefer commercial movies, they don't try to exploit your mind.