City Of Men / Cidade dos Homens

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: August 31, 2007 (Brazil) / February 29, 2008 (USA)

DVD Release Date: July 1, 2008

Plot 411: Two boys must become men in the midst of a gang war in their hometown, which forces them to choose sides and causes a rift in their friendship.

Review: Two best friends, Ace (Douglas Silva) and Wallace (Darlan Cunha), come of age in this very raw look at life on the streets of one of Brazil's ghettos. The boys confront life, death, guns, gangs, sex and fatherhood as they struggle to discover who they are. Ace is an orphan who has long stopped thinking about his father, but Wallace can't think of anything else. As Wallace's 18th birthday approaches, Ace helps him track down his dad. This uncovers a sordid past that threatens to break the boys' long-standing friendship. The setting and set design of all the houses on a hill is really remarkable. You feel the dirt and grime of a place that is packed so tightly together. You see how poor the people are and how they seem to struggle to realize their dreams. You also see how this hill has shaped people's lives and what they sacrifice when they live there. The gangs are filled with young men and women who seek status and power through violence. It is through these gangs that they earn respect. Sadly, this is a theme that affects many urban areas where kids run the streets and civilians are afraid to leave their homes. The only bad part of the movie for me was the English-dubbed voices. Unfortunately I watched this online at Netflix and wasn't given the choice of using subtitles. If you do get a chance to watch this, definitely opt for subtitles and hear the lines in its original form. The English translations sounded awkward and the voices didn't match the actors.

Watch It: For a realistic snapshot of gang violence and poverty as it affects people just trying to survive.

Skip It: If you want to watch City of Gods first as I've read this is a spin off and takes place in the same area and has some of the same actors.

Trailer: