City of Men humanizes slum in Rio de Janeiro
With the same producers and focus on the street gangs of Rio de Janeiro as the terrific City of God, I had high expectations for the follow-up, City of Men. City of God, directed by Fernando Meirelles, explored the violent, unpredictable life of urban gangs in Rio. The violence of the gangs reflected itself in the dynamic visuals and cinematography.
City of Men, directed by Meirelles's producing partner, Paulo Morelli, largely retains the color of the previous film though it takes a more personal turn as it looks at the effects of poverty and crime in the lives of two young men, Ace (Douglas Silva) and Wallace (Darlan Cunha).
Ace, an 18-year-old with a young child and a wife, is reluctant about the responsibilities of adulthood. Being a father and husband was the result of adolescent fun, which he still wishes to retain.
At the beginning of the film, Ace treats his own son with a reckless abandon as he soaks in the sun on the beaches of Rio. Wallace, who is about to turn 18, is also plagued by demons as he obsesses over his own lack of a father. Wallace dreads receiving the identification card, which will not bear his father's surname.
As Wallace seeks out his father and Ace discovers what it means to be a father, the gang wars of Rio take the backdrop. They start when Nefasto (Eduardo B R Piranha) betrays his boss, the charismatic Madrugadão - nicknamed Midnight - (Jonathan Haagensen). With a new gang, Nefasto takes over his turf on Dead End Hill, forcing Midnight and his crew to flee. Midnight mounts an even larger and deadlier response.
Like those in City of God, the battles show swarms of armed juvenile soldiers as they run through the streets shooting at each other. The arbitrary violence and futility of it all seems more like a water fight than one with heavy artillery. The film's implicit message on the uselessness and utter silliness of gangs is effectively communicated through these battle scenes of disaffected youths. However, City of Men has more of a human touch than City of God, which portrays a near nihilistic landscape of emotionless bloodshed.
City of Men, directed by Meirelles's producing partner, Paulo Morelli, largely retains the color of the previous film though it takes a more personal turn as it looks at the effects of poverty and crime in the lives of two young men, Ace (Douglas Silva) and Wallace (Darlan Cunha).
Ace, an 18-year-old with a young child and a wife, is reluctant about the responsibilities of adulthood. Being a father and husband was the result of adolescent fun, which he still wishes to retain.
At the beginning of the film, Ace treats his own son with a reckless abandon as he soaks in the sun on the beaches of Rio. Wallace, who is about to turn 18, is also plagued by demons as he obsesses over his own lack of a father. Wallace dreads receiving the identification card, which will not bear his father's surname.
As Wallace seeks out his father and Ace discovers what it means to be a father, the gang wars of Rio take the backdrop. They start when Nefasto (Eduardo B R Piranha) betrays his boss, the charismatic Madrugadão - nicknamed Midnight - (Jonathan Haagensen). With a new gang, Nefasto takes over his turf on Dead End Hill, forcing Midnight and his crew to flee. Midnight mounts an even larger and deadlier response.
Like those in City of God, the battles show swarms of armed juvenile soldiers as they run through the streets shooting at each other. The arbitrary violence and futility of it all seems more like a water fight than one with heavy artillery. The film's implicit message on the uselessness and utter silliness of gangs is effectively communicated through these battle scenes of disaffected youths. However, City of Men has more of a human touch than City of God, which portrays a near nihilistic landscape of emotionless bloodshed.
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