Quote
Originally posted by: Jaster Mareel
Ric is from Brazil? Wow, I just saw City of God... Have you seen City of God, Ric? Are things really that bad in places over there? I mean, that movie was horrifying...
It definitly made me realise I take my life for granted way to often.
Anyway. Sorry for the off topic post...
Yes I did see that movie. Yes, that's what happens in some places such as Rio de Janeiro's poor neighborhoods - you will not find that on the streets or in every city, you would have to be in the WRONG place at the WRONG time to find those kinds of people.
About 25% of the movie's violence is overreacted, ridiculously ultra-violent for dramatic porpouses or fictional, they were way too young for the people they were supposed to be impersonating, and the whole time frame is wrong (the kids age only 6 or 7 years in a +15 year timeframe the movie shows - from mid 60s to early 80s). Also, native speakers notice how the characters speak in a way people did not speak back in the 60s or 70s, they use recent slang sometimes, mostly because the movie's dialogue is mostly ad-libed.
Brazil is a country of opposite, distinct contrasts. In places like Rio you may find the life portraited in City of God (not as cliched and Tarantino-esque though) and half a mile away you may find rich people playing golf.
But I guess you are right about taking things for granted. If your kids ever complain they don't have enough toys or a car or a new CD player, show them this movie.
Unfortunally, the trend now in Brazil is to do real violence-related Tarantino-esque films. Every year there are at least 2 new movies like this one. My favorite local movie is, still, the absolutely non-violent Boleiros, about football (soccer), which is, also unfortunally, absolutely untranslatable and impossible to sell internationally.