I don't wanna be there.
Wait. I'm not talking about religion nor a heavenly city of God. I'm talking about a ghetto in Brazil.
The movie City of God is about that ghetto. The movie's title is the name of the ghetto itself, which is so ironic. Cidade de Deus, "a housing facility for the poor started in the 60's", is a very dangerous place. If you think Saray of Iligan is dangerous enough, think again! Cidade de Deus is by far more dangerous. People live there in a culture of too much violence and the trade they know of is that of guns and drugs, all illegal. It's normal to smoke joint. It's normal to see somebody being shot dead, every single day. Children there play with real guns with real bullets and with real people as targets. They dream of being fearsome gangsters and they start early. They prefer stealing and robbing than going to school. Even at a young age, they know how to kill people. They know how to kill people as if people are merely chickens. *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* Bullets would often fall all over the place like rain.
so young and so happy.
so young and so trigger-happy.
City of God depicts "the humanity of a world apparently condemned to endless violence".
You'd think it's just a movie, but no, THERE REALLY EXISTS A CITY OF GOD IN RIO DE JANIERO. I feel fortunate that I wasn't born in that part of the world and I feel sorry for the people especially the kids who are there. Watch City of God (if you haven't yet), so you'll understand me better.
I loved this film, not for the subject but for the film making. The horror of the city was made more awful by filming it so beautifully. It was captivating!
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that the actors, who were just people the from the Cidade de Deus, had been given a chance to escape their past, but almost all of them spent the money they earned from the film and went back to crime...
You can take the man out of the City of God, but you can't take the City of God out of the man, it seems.
BTW the hug counter is great; can others put it on their site?
originally posted on 10.07.04 - 1:53 am using Haloscan comment board
hey, mark! thanks for droppin' by. right after i wrote that article, i began to wonder if i really got things right (i.e. the existence of City of God as that place depicted in the film to this day). thanks for the input; i truly appreciate it. about the hug counter, it's something you can put on your own site.
ReplyDeleteoriginally posted on 10.07.04 - 2:02 am using Haloscan comment board
i've been meaning to watch this for a long long time. haven't seen a copy of this anywhere.
ReplyDeleteoriginally posted on 10.09.04 - 2:43 pm using Haloscan comment board
ei ariane! i have an original copy. i bought it from one of those all-over-the-place-malls known for their two letters, box-type structures, and parking spaces .
ReplyDeleteoriginally posted on 10.10.04 - 2:18 am using Haloscan comment board