In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.
- Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 75 wins & 50 nominations total
Leandro Firmino
- Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé
- (as Leandro Firmino da Hora)
Michel Gomes
- Bené Criança - Young Benny
- (as Michel De Souza Gomes)
Kiko Marques
- Cabeção - Melonhead
- (as Maurício Marques)
- Directors
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen we hear Buscapé (Alexandre Rodrigues) talking to Marina (Graziella Moretto) about how "he never took a hot bath", that was not scripted. Actually, that was Rodrigues and Moretto talking off camera, during a pause in the shooting, when the boy (who lived on the slums) was telling her about his life.
- GoofsLil' Ze is taken into custody by the police, Rocket runs after the police truck. The Police truck passes by a late - model Chevrolet S10, black, circa 2001. The movie is set in the seventies.
- Crazy creditsThe closing credits shows pictures of the main actors, their name, their character's name and pictures of the real life characters (for the ones based on existing people).
- Alternate versionsThe Indian Censor Board nonsensically deleted the visuals of frontal nudity in the motel scene and the dialogue of a woman talking about her sexual experiences for an 'A' (adults) rating.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Siskel & Ebert: The Best Films of 2002 (2003)
- SoundtracksAlvorada
Written by Cartola / Carlos Cachaça / Hermínio Bello de Carvalho (as Hermínio B. Carvalho)
Performed by Cartola
Peer Music do Brasil Edições Musicais Ltda
Licensed by EMI Music Ltda
Featured review
One of my top 10
I have made an effort to watch all the movies in IMDb's top 100 rated list. As of now, I'm looking for a place where the DVD for Sunset Blvd. is (currently at #30). But this movie is one of the movies I've seen that's on the list. And I find it an amazing film (currently #5 on my top 10 list). What I enjoy about this film is the visual look of the film, but also the way the director puts you in the story. At the end of the film you have become friends with just about everyone in the film, even though some of the characters are very despicable people. The violence hits you in the chest like a load of bricks sometimes, especially when you recognize that many of the kids involved in the violence are right around 10 or 11, but you also realize that this reflects the culture of the slum these kids live in.
Gangster films always seem to make for good dramas (e.g. the Godfather, Goodfellas), where the culture of evil almost always triumphs as the dominant character. This film is no different, but it shows the life of children in places where bribery and corruption reigns supreme. It also shows the bravery of many of these people when even the government won't stick up for them.
If you're thinking of starting to watch some foreign language films, this is a good place to start. It is a classic IMO among films made in languages besides English. I did find that the subtitles in this film were done rather poorly (they displayed on my DVD player at the wrong times and it took a few plays to figure out who was saying what.) But I think the film itself is a truly great film.
Gangster films always seem to make for good dramas (e.g. the Godfather, Goodfellas), where the culture of evil almost always triumphs as the dominant character. This film is no different, but it shows the life of children in places where bribery and corruption reigns supreme. It also shows the bravery of many of these people when even the government won't stick up for them.
If you're thinking of starting to watch some foreign language films, this is a good place to start. It is a classic IMO among films made in languages besides English. I did find that the subtitles in this film were done rather poorly (they displayed on my DVD player at the wrong times and it took a few plays to figure out who was saying what.) But I think the film itself is a truly great film.
helpful•24480
- michaelgs
- Nov 26, 2004
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Ciudad de Dios
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- R$3,300,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $7,564,459
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $88,292
- Jan 19, 2003
- Gross worldwide
- $30,680,793
- Runtime2 hours 10 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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