In the 2002 film, bildungsroman based crime drama, City of God, Fernando Meirelles (cinematographer: Cesar Charlone, editor: Daniel Rezende) depicts the hardships of life for young people living in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Based on a true story, the film revolves around two boys who go on to follow different paths in life, one becoming an infamous drug dealer and the other a photographer for a local newspaper. A key scene within the plot is “the story of Lil Ze” (during 00.38.53.01 – 00.43.53.01) which develops the character of Lil Ze while also portraying his deep inner thoughts and feelings about the way he sees the world around him such that he is attempting to become the most renowned drug dealer in the “city of God”. This text will focus on cinematography, editing as well as sound and how they manage to portray Lil Ze’s own personal sense of ideology, while also touching on the potential impact of the social and economic context. 

I have chosen Alfonso Cuarón’s 2006 dystopian science fiction film, Children of Men for my textual analysis. The film is set in 2027 in a world where women are infertile, and features the story of a former activist named Theo who agrees to help transport a pregnant woman to a sanctuary. I have chosen the section of the film between 00.16.43. – 00.21.02. which is before the climax of the film. In this scene, Theo travels through the dystopian Britain to visit his rich cousin to gain travel papers. To analyse this section, I am focusing on sound, mise en scene, and genre. The context examined focusses on social and economic factors connected to the film around the time of its production.