Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Cinema Junkie by Beth Accomando

City of Men

Cinema Junkie by Beth Accomando
City of Men

Darlan Cunha and Douglas Silva of City of Men (Miramax)

If the title of the new Brazilian film City of Men (opening February 29 at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas) sounds familiar, it should. It's the spin off of Fernando Meirelles' 2002 film City of God , and the follow up to Meirelles' 2002 Brazilian TV series City of Men . Meirelles also serves as the producer of City of Men, which is directed by his long time collaborator Paulo Morelli. The new film isn't a sequel because there's no continuation of plot or recurring characters from the first film. (Some actors do reappear but playing different roles.) But City of Men does return to the same Rio de Janeiro slums and to similar themes about coming of age amidst violence.

Hungry Hank from San Diego, CA
March 01, 2008 at 07:44 PM
I couldn't agree with you more. This is a great film about what it takes to be brothers (by circumstance rather than blood) in the face of so much environmental strife. It was quite surprising to see how much this film was really about their relationship rather than just about the violence in these particular favelas. I hope this finds an audience because it's one of the few films worth people's time and money to come out in 2008.

Beth Accomando
March 02, 2008 at 01:20 AM
Thanks for pointing out the idea of brothers by "circumstance rather than blood." In this environment where many of the boys don't know their fathers, family bonds of a different kind tend to take the place of the one between fathers and sons.

Advertisement

Max
March 02, 2008 at 06:57 PM
I supposed this is for those who didn't get a chance to see the very good television series. The thematic scope is about the same but the pictures are much brighter and prettier on the big screen. I like this one better than City of God which was just a bit too hip that I thought detracted from the good story.