Life in the City of God.

 

City of God is a Brazilian crime film from 2002 and is directed by Fernando Meirelles, co-directed by Katia Lund and released in its home country in 2002 and worldwide in 2003.

In Rio De Janeiro in the 1960’s, it was quite difficult as there were no use of electricity anywhere, no buses on the street (no public transport) only cars. However during the 1970’s it would turn into a slum or favela. It moved towards democracy in the 1980s in Brazil which has increased into an international trade of drugs. The government was Janio Quadros and on March 15 1985, Jose Sarney was the president.

• What evidence is there in the film that the provisions in the City of God are poor?

There is a suburb that was designed in the 1960s in order to keep the poor as far away as possible from Rio’s glamorous beaches and resorts. Also the way the characters are dressed for example, most of them wear ripped shirts and old fashioned shoes. Also the clothes are sometimes worn out which shows that they cannot afford to buy new clothes.

• Who do you think is to blame for the residents living in these conditions?

The government as they should provide more jobs for the residents living in the city, this is because the environment is not good and the way people dress and the violence used everyday is not being taken care of by the government. They should provide jobs so that people can start working and gain money for themselves and for their family in order to improve the way they dress and eat better and for their house.

• Why do you think the slum was called City of God?

As the movie refers to religion and the characters are shown as religious people, I know this because when something bad happens in a scene one of the characters always pray to god.

• What should/could be done to change life in the City of God?

The government should work on providing jobs for people living in the city in order to gain money to help them live better with their families. Also they should take more care of the fact that kids can be influenced by the people that carry with them and use guns and drugs on a daily basis in public as it can be dangerous and may influence kids to be like that as they get older.

 

• What would he have looked like/worn e.g. hair, clothes, car etc.

He would have worn old clothes that are ripped and worn out for example a worn out ripped shirt, old pairs of shoes, old jeans.

• Would he have gone to school?

No due to the violence in the city and the gangs that walk around it would be dangerous for a 16 year old to attend school as the gangs carry equipment with them for example guns and knives which can be used at school and put teenagers in danger.

• Would he have gone to church?

It depends on who he hangs around with and if his family are religious or not.

• How old would he have been when he used his first gun?

He would have been around 10/11 year olds as he could be influenced by the people he hangs around with, also by seeing people using violence and using guns.

• Would he have taken drugs?

Depending on the environment then yes as the children are surrounded by people taking drugs and doing these things.

• What would life have been like for the women who lived in the city of god?

They would be seen as innocent and vulnerable, they are also seen as women who get attacked or robbed and have no power.

Imagine Lil Ze is going into a school to talk to a group of students about his experiences and to try and convince them to turn against crimes and drugs.

• What might he tell them?

He could talk about the things he has seen or been through and convince them that it is dangerous, also talk about how those students could get influenced easily by people around them that already do drugs and use violence and are in gangs that use guns and knives and say how that could put them at risk as they grow up and talk about the negative things it could do to people.

• What examples of his experiences might he use to illustrate the harm and danger that drugs and guns create?

He can tell them how he has held a gun before and how things could easily go wrong, for example how he can shoot someone by accident or the police catching him holding a gun.

• What questions might the students ask him?

They might ask questions like the experiences he has had with drugs or crimes and if he has ever been influenced by is friends that are in gangs and use guns and maybe how to stop being influenced by someone and advice on how to do that.

In one scene, Lil Ze shoots two of the Runts in the foot, and then forces another younger boy to kill one of them. This is a powerful scene and one that shows the extent of the problems.

• Discuss how this scene makes you feel and what you think about young children using guns.

I feel like this is something wrong to be doing at such a young age as Lil Ze has been influenced by someone to be like this and now he is influencing his friends and forcing someone to shoot someone else which is wrong and should not be happening. Young children using guns is dangerous and should be stopped as they do not know much about it and can easily shoot and kill someone.