The film “City of God” by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund represents the issues concerning the urban planning and life in the suburbs of the big cities. The film demonstrates a chain of influence of the historic and natural processes on migration, unemployment, dangerous conditions of living in the suburb area, urban crimes, and the personal space of each person in the neighborhood. As depicted in the film, poverty and absence of security provided by authorities can be closely related in terms of development of crimes and robbery in the area. This essay will discuss the global planning issues with relation to the film “City of God”.
“City of God” is based on real events and has non-professional actors so everything seen in the movie is authentic to the maximum. The action of the movie takes place in the Cidade de Deus (City of God), one of the most dangerous suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. “Now home to around 40,000 people, the community was originally built for families relocated to the outskirts by Rio's authorities to rid the city centre of its favelas” (Bowater, 2013). The 80’s and 90’s depicted in the movie was a difficult period in the history of Brazil – the country had troubles with inflation because of the huge foreign debt. Meanwhile, the birth rate grew higher, and people migrated to the cities from rural areas. Due to the fact that poor people were thrown away to the hills so that Rio de Janeiro was exposed to the rich, the gap between the upper and lower classes is highlighted both socially and geographically.
Unemployment, low salaries proposed by the rare job posts, and no visible perspectives have a negative effect on the younger generation. As seen in the movie, there is no other way to get enough money except for robbery – the youngsters attack the driver of a fuel tanker, shops, bars, motels. There is no point to get education as well as work the whole day and earn so little money while the armed robbery can take ten minutes and bring a lot of money. The kids grow in the atmosphere where the gang leader is the most famous person in the neighborhood, and only he can give an opportunity to get some money.
“City of God” authentically demonstrates poor life conditions of the inhabitants: ruined streets, dirty huts, empty shops, and scanty meal. People are wearing poor clothes while kids are scantily clad. The huts are very small and made of poor material, they hygiene problem is very serious here. The landscape is full of blocks thus making the streets and passages crowded and cramped. The graffiti is a symbol of the prevailing street life of the younger generation. The only way to spend free time for the kids in the City of God is whether to play football with the only shabby ball or plan and bring into action robberies – they bring money and a lot of fun. Robberies are a good opportunity for the youngest to learn to use the gun and get new friends – that is how the poor neighborhoods develop. The sunny beaches of the City of God is the only thing that reminds of tourist postcards.
The film reveals the issue concerning the sale of drugs and how it inevitably ruins the life of everyone participating in this business. The city of God proposes the only sphere where the young poor boy can get money and even build a career – the sale of marijuana and cocaine. No one cares about the age – once there is a gun, the boy is ready to become a part of the gang. “What is most horrifying of all is how those caught up in the violence – victims and perpetrators alike – keep getting younger and younger” (Fox, 2010). Being the part of the community headed by the most high powered person in the suburb guarantees security, well-being, and authority. It seems like the drug industry in the City of God is the only possible way to survive. In areas where the drug trade is openly visible and common, like the suburb of Rio de Janeiro, the social networking can be not only helpful but also very dangerous. Communication with the drug addicts and dealers can cause a lot of trouble due to their changing mood.
The City of God is a knock-down-drag-out – here, the strongest is the bravest and the most cold blooded. As seen in the movie, the winner is Li’l Zé who is not afraid to kill anyone without hesitation and has enough charisma to frighten the others and make them work for him. “And yet even Zé, for all his psychotic tendencies, has a sense of order, and the favela is relatively peaceful once his reign is established” (Fox, 2010). In this suburb, the order is regulated with a gun and frightening, and it is safer for the City of God to have the only ruler with an absolute power rather than two huge gangs fighting for power and revenge and killing everyone on their way.
The police in the City of God pretend they want to find the bandits but in fact, they closely cooperate with Li’l Zé. They help the gangsters get the weapons; they share the robbed goods, and chase other gangsters so that the suburb is only ruled by one. The corruption and prevailing of gangsters at the head – these two elements do not permit the City of God to develop, and the youngsters make their choice what life to live.
People here are brought up by the survival instinct. The husband kills his wife for cheating; the father threatens to kill his son for being a gangster; Li’l Zé humiliated the unknown man because his girlfriend did not want to dance with a Li’l Zé – it seems like the savage laws still govern people in this society. There are those who want to leave (Rocket, Benny and Angelica, Bernice) but the majority is used to the definite style of life and is afraid to be unwanted in the big city. The first reason is that no one really wants to get education and work, and the second is the inability of these people to believe there exists another life with another rules.
“The film has become a steadfast cultural reference for Brazil's social problems, crime and violence” (Bowater, 2013). It revealed the problem hiding behind the beautiful image of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro that tourists see. This problem is dirt, poverty, and violence, and people are just thrown away to live in the subhuman conditions. In urban cities, like the one in the film, money is the most admired commodity, and this is the reason why the drug trade is such a desired business to participate in – money comes easy and fast, and even the personal sacrifice seems worth all the danger around the business.
The film enveloped an appreciation for a family support network. The director associates lovers with dreams of future, immigrating, and development while family is the constant shelter where the person always finds love and support whether he is a gangster or not. In the urban environment, such type of comfort is necessary for survival (Benny and Angelica, Shaggy and Bernice). The director supposes that only the couple is able to change the norm of life and move away from the dirt and the danger so that one day, their kid does not know what his parents used to experience every day. Love and family is the only light in the City of God but it fades when some members of the family are killed or have finally left the city which God forgot about.
The film “City of God” is extremely beneficial in understanding global planning issues in suburbs, personal space, and immigration. It is easy to imagine the inevitable destroying effect on the personal space of each inhabitant caused by the neighborhood’s dangerous principles and rules. The film reveals money and survival as the main entities in life of the society, and how it is difficult and dangerous sometimes to have different views on life. And, finally, it demonstrates the importance of the mutual support and help in terms of the family relationships – the element able to move the progress of the person.
References
Bowater, Donna (2013). City of God, 10 years on. BBC.
Fox, Killian (2010). City of God: No 6 best action and war film of all time. The Guardian.
