I have chosen Kátia Lund and Fernando Meirelles’ 2002 coming of age film City of God for my textual analysis. The film is set from the end of the 1960s to the early 1980s; and features the story of two boys, one an aspiring photographer and one a gang leader, each navigating their way through adolescence in the slums of Rio. I have chosen the section of the film between 01:53:12 – 01:57:05, which is during the climax of the film. In this scene, gang leader ‘Li’l Zé’ is released from arrest by corrupt policemen and then killed by a vengeful gang of children known as ‘The Runts’, while photographer ‘Rocket’ observes. To analyse this section, I am focusing on cinematography and editing, as well as representation and ideology. The context examined focuses on social and political factors related to the film’s reception, alongside the time of its production.