City of God

What makes City of God so breathtaking is director Fernando Meirelles' passion for these people - he gives us the color, the music and the humor...

I came away from this film impressed by its narrative control but unmoved by anything it had to say.

Powerful, but only for 17 and up.

City of God delivers a bruising, visceral experience of the vicious spiral of violence that draws kids into a life of crime, brutality and murder as the only avenue open to them.

The performances, many from non-pros, are terrific.

Difficult to watch but hard to look away from.

A stark depiction of life outside the city: terrifying, unsettling, but never losing the sense of comedy.

“A gateway drug to world cinema … aesthetically pure… the world was bigger after I watched City of God.”

What is the value of human life? And why are we so reckless with the fate of the youth of the world?

A cold, hard look at reality from a specific moment in time, specific place in the world and specific point-of-view. A brilliant film that shines in every department. [Full review in Spanish]