Representation

Very few women appear in City of God, and those that do are treated badly and violently by men, primarily Lil Ze. Following Benny’s death, Angelica is forced by Lil Ze to leave the club, with him blaming it on her. Additionally, Knockout Ned’s girlfriend briefly appears, firstly where he turns down a dance with Lil Ze, and secondly where he confronts her and Ned, attacking the two and raping her.

Aesthetics

Tone – City of God’s third act is highly suspenseful, with tension being built as the gang war between Carrot and Lil Ze continues on. In fact, the war begins around 40 minutes before the end of the film, so a large amount of the runtime is spent leaving audiences questioning who will win. This is enhanced with the fast pacing of shots and editing giving the effect that so much is happening all at once to the people living in the city throughout the conflict.

Visual Style – City of God uses two main styles of colour grading. For the majority of the film, the appearance could be described as highly saturated with softer colours, whereas the colour grading becomes grittier and could be described as ‘kitchen-sink’ following the beginning of the gang war.

Realism – City of God is a social realist film, depicting the lives of those who experience several horrific things such as murder, drug abuse, rape, war, and poverty. The use of handheld shots reinforce the documentary style approach Fernando Meirelles took in order to make the world feel real and create a sense of verisimilitude.