Classics: Cidade de Deus

Cidade de Deus, about the rise of drug gangs in the favela, is a film about poverty and violence, in which little boys brandish weapons, use drugs and die in droves. Yet it is not a melancholy tearjerker; Director Fernando Meirelles packages the drama as a flashy, lushly photographed, quickly edited black comedy.

Cidade de Deus (City of God) is loosely based on the book by Paulo Lins, a man who lived in the slum of the same name in Rio de Janeiro. Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), one of the main characters, is his alter ego. The film won no fewer than 4 Oscars in 2004: Best Director, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography.

Source: VPRO Cinema