City of God: Goal-Oriented Protagonists, Formalism, Poverty & Violence

The following analysis was submitted for an informal film journal assignment Junior year.

Goal-Oriented Protagonists

It is difficult to determine whether Rocket or Lil Ze fulfills the role of the protagonist. Narratively speaking, Rocket does serve as a goal-oriented character in the City of God. He wants to be a photographer and/or gain access to a camera and lose his virginity to Angelica. Initially, I assumed that another primary goal was for him to leave the City of God, but he seems to deprioritize this goal as he becomes further entangled and almost enamored with the complex activity of the gang members. He does not share a desire to remain in The City of God, but also does not demonstrate significant distaste as he is more concerned with fulfilling his personal career goals. However, Rocket’s position as a potential protagonist might be contested given that his character is relatively underdeveloped. Although the film begins and ends with his storyline, Rocket maintains his position as an onlooking narrator throughout the film with little dynamic elements. The change surrounding Rocket in the film is predominantly plot-oriented and his enthrallment with Lil Ze suggests that our gaze should be focused on a different character’s development. If one considers Lil Ze the protagonist, his goal is power and wealth. Lil Ze wants to eliminate anyone that might thwart his position of power. Over the course of the film, the barriers to Lil Ze’s activities provide further clarity that his goal is to be untouchable and uncrossable. The film underscores and catalyzes these goals with his abandonment at the motel and overarching need to prove his dominant position. Lil Ze was always the youngest and smallest within the gang and his power-centric goals convey a desire to change other gang members’ patronizing attitudes towards him. This desire for dominance is further catalyzed in a personal sense by emotional rejection, such as the scene where he fires shots at the party after being rejected by a woman of interest. 

Film’s use of cinematography, editing, & sound design and how it relates to the story and themes

The form in the film upholds its referential and implicit meaning. The movie is shot over the span of the 1960’s and 19670’s in the Rio de Janeiro slums. The editing styles between the two decades differ in their saturation and hues. The first portion of the movie takes place predominantly in the slums, showcasing brownish, orange tones that seem to mesh with the dusty roads. The second portion of the movie takes place in a more urban environment and contains less saturated, darker, grey tones as tensions between old friends rise. The scene where Benny is shot is perhaps one of the most poignant scenes in the movie. During this scene, the camera first focuses on smiling, warm faces as Benny’s goodbye party begins. Upbeat songs like “Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting” play and the characters' moods mimic this wholesome, upbeat rhythm. Then, as Lil Ze’s aggravation builds up, the flashing lights and unstable, fidgeting camera movements promote a sense of anxiety. These formal elements, paired with the fact that most characters were intoxicated, made me anxious that the characters would lose sight of one another in the imminent disaster I felt would ensue. The music ultimately switched to a rock song and the camera captured shots of the band to signal this adjustment in form. The conjunction of the rock song, camera movements, and lighting created a tone of tension and imminent disaster right before Lil Ze fired the shots.

Recurring Symbols

One of the key symbols in the film is the camera. In the beginning of the film, spectators believe Rocket is in danger as members of a gang corner him and appear to become violent toward him; even the erratic chickens around him seem to signal impending demise. The camera tracks in rotation around Rocket, which indicates a sense of uncertainty or a need to decide a direction, and the flashback begins. Spectators see Rocket’s fascination with cameras throughout the film. In the beginning, he spots journalists in the slums using them to report on crimes like the one between the older townsman and his adulterous wife. Rocket often notices Benny’s camera throughout the film and ultimately stumbles into a professional role where he must photograph Lil Ze and his gang during the turf war. He finally gains possession of a camera as the gang violence between Knockout Ned and Lil Ze peaks. In my opinion, the camera symbolizes hope. The ending scene relates back to the beginning scene, as we see that Rocket is not in danger, but rather fulfilling his ultimate professional dream. The uncertainty, indecision, and anxiety shown by the rotating camera movements in the first scene are assuaged when the final scene indicates he is the one with the camera. Other characters, such as Knockout Ned, are faced with the same decision as Rocket. Constant exposure to crime and personal entanglements ultimately suck Knockout Ned into the violent lifestyle he vowed never to perpetuate. Rocket’s fascination with cameras is the one thing he clings to and this fascination arguably protects him from joining the violence like those around him. The camera symbolizes hope, ultimately becoming Rocket’s vehicle towards success and safety.

Violence as a Critique of Poverty

In my opinion, City of God does not romanticize violence, but rather uses it as a narrative tool to critique poverty. Knockout Ned appears morally sound and good-natured at his introduction. Even when he hesitantly joins the gang, he makes them promise not to kill innocent people. The film shows how “good” people like Knockout Ned are bound by constrictions of poverty and gang violence. The impoverished circumstances they live under often leave them either believing that there is no possible way to make money without crime or that crime avenges their various losses. Although Rocket does not ultimately succumb to gang violence, his plot line follows alongside the murders and crimes others commit, demonstrating the constant exposure to crime in Rio de Janiero’s slums. I noticed that, even as a spectator, I became attached to gang members–like Carrot–who might be regarded as “bad” people. Violent people like Carrot do not seek out violence, but are cornered into it, desensitized to it, and participate in it when there appears to be no alternative escape from their socioeconomic plight. If the film were to romanticize violence, I believe there would be an additional draw to Lil Ze’s character. Lil Ze does not achieve anything from violence and seems stripped of his humanity as he becomes further entangled in gang violence. Furthermore, I think it’s interesting that Lil Ze does not have any romantic or sexual involvement in the film. The sexual rejection he experiences helps dissolve any potential attraction towards the violence he represents in the film.