city of god
In the introductory scene, there is a chicken running through narrow hallways in a Brazilian slum called City of God. Chasing the chicken, there are dozens of thugs waving and shooting guns trying to kill it. At that point, the hero of the movie, Rocket, is presented as what seems to be just another young man that is going to be bullied, or probably killed by the gang members if he doesn't catch the chicken. From there on, director Fernando Meirelles relocates the story a decade before, allowing the public to witness the changes on the slum that conducted to introduction of the movie, and to show that Rocket is a courageous man that is able to face his worst fears. The film is a coming of age story that uses bold cinematography and narrative to powerfully convey its message. The story is a documentary-like film that explains the evolution of violence in that poor city while telling the coming of age story of two kids that moved in opposite directions. On the one hand, there is a kid named Rocket who decided that he didn't want to be a criminal and opposed the violence happening around him. He tries to be a correct man. He falls in love with a pretty girl while working his way to become a photographer. "When he sees his first cam
However, that would be the turning point of the movie and the beginning of the indiscriminate violence. Flashy illumination, rhythmic camera movement, and appealing music made cause the viewer to think for a moment that there might be a "happy ending in the movie". One more effective camera effect was used when the three kids were robbing the truck carrying the gas container. The kids were running along the truck trying to stop it and the camera was located on the same level that the truck's window creating an effect of speed, proximity, and reality. This film can also be used to expose some of the social struggles present in many slums in Brazil and in the rest of Latin America. Furthermore, the director masterfully used editing to make the movie a very dynamic final product. He separated the plot in different parts which are not chronologically organized. However, after working on dead end jobs and realizing that the girl dumped him for a gang member, Rocket decides to try being a thief, but he finds out that he is not that type of person. Another way in which the director separated from classical movies is that almost all the children that worked in the movie were not professional actors. For example, despite the minor robberies happening, smooth and steady camera shots give a naive atmosphere to the city. Instead, he gradually grows to be a man with aspirations and the will to improve and move out of City of God. Similar to the case studied in the text book in the section "The Development of Narrative", the director used a similar model than the one used in the movie "Pulp Fiction". There are no dramatic explosions, no slow motion tumbling down of the actors, and no logic in the choosing of the killing. In the end, there is not resolution and the viewer realizes that the small children that now have the weapons in the City of God will perpetuate the violence and the existing situation.
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Acceptance Essays
