International Cinema Series: Cidade de Deus (Brazil)

SCHOOL OF LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES

INTERNATIONAL CINEMA SERIES

Cidade de Deus (Brazil)

Directed by Fernando Meirelles

Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Jonathan Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Alice Braga, and Seu Jorge.

“The main character in Cidade de Deus is not a person. It is a place. Cidade de Deus is a poor housing project started in the 60's that became one of the most dangerous places in Rio de Janeiro by the beginning of the 80's. The story of the place is seen through the eyes of the narrator: Buscapé, a poor black kid too frail and scared to become an outlaw but also too smart to be content with an underpaid job. He grows up in a very violent environment. The odds are all against him. But he discovers he can see the reality with a different eye: the eye of an artist. Through his perspective of life we understand the humanity of a world apparently condemned to endless violence.”