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WJEC Eduqas A-level Film Studies Revision Notes (2019 Specification)
City of God - Fernando Meirelles/ Katia Lund, Brazil, 2002
Synopsis
City of God (Cidade de Deus) begins with an armed gang chasing after an escaped chicken in
the favela. The chicken stops between the gang and the narrator, a man named Rocket
(Buscape) before flashing back to the 1960s where the favela is shown as a newly built
housing project. The first section of the film is ‘The Story of the Tender Trio,’ three
impoverished amateur thieves Shaggy, Clipper and Rocket’s brother Goose. The trio rob
business owners and share the money in the community who, in turn, hide them from the
police. Li’l Dice (later Li’l Ze) convinces the trio to hold up a motel and rob its occupants.
The gang decides not to kill anyone and instructs Li’l Dice to serve as a lookout. Instead, Li’l
Dice falsely warns the trio that the police are coming and guns down the motel occupants.
The massacre is brought to the police’s attention, forcing the trio to split up: Clipper joins the
church, Shaggy is shot by police while trying to escape the favela and Goose is shot by Li’l
Dice after taking his money while Benny, Shaggy’s brother watches.
The second section of the film ‘The Story of Li’l Ze’ focuses on the favela in the 1970s.
Rocket has joined a group of young hippies where he enjoys photography and likes one girl,
Angelica. However, his attempt to get close to her are ruined by a gang of petty criminals
known as “The Runts”. Li’l Dice, who is now known as Li’l Ze, has established a drug
empire with Benny eliminating all of the competition except for Carrot who is a good friend
of his. Li’l Ze takes over ‘the apartment’, a known drug distribution centre, and forces
Carrot’s manager Blacky to work for him instead. Coincidentally, Rocket visits the apartment
to get drugs off Blacky during the raid. Through narration, Rocket momentarily considers
attempting to kill Li’l Ze to avenge his brother but decides against it. He is let go after Benny
tells Li’l Ze that Rocket is Goose’s brother.
Whilst the City of God is under the reign of Li’l Ze, relative peace comes over the favela.
Benny decides to branch out of the drug dealer crowd and befriends Tiago, Angelica’s ex-
boyfriend, who introduces him to Rocket’s friend group. Benny and Angelica begin dating
and together they decide to leave the city and the drug trade. During Benny’s farewell party,
he and Ze get into an argument. Blacky accidentally kills Benny while trying to shoot Ze.
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Carrot kills Blacky for endangering his life. Ze and a group of soldiers start to make their way
to Carrot’s hideout with the intention of killing him. On the way, Ze follows a girl who
dismissed his advances at Benny’s party; he beats up her boyfriend, a peaceful man named
Knockout Ned and rapes her. After Ned’s brother stabs Ze, his gang retaliates by gunning
down his house and killing his brother and uncle in the process. A gang war breaks out
between Carrot and Ze, a vengeful Ned sides with Carrot.
A year later in the 1980s ‘The Story of Knockout Ned’, the war continues, the origin
forgotten. Both sides enlist more soldiers and Ze gives the Runts weapons. Ze has Rocket
take photos of him and his gang. A reporter publishes these photos which is of major interest
since nobody is able to safely enter the City of God anymore. Rocket believes that Lil Ze will
kill him for publishing the photos but, unbeknownst to him, Li’l Ze was jealous of Ned’s
fame so is pleased that these photos have increased his notoriety.
Rocket returns to the city to take more photographs, bringing the film back to the opening
scene. Confronted by the gang, Rocket is surprised that Ze asks him to take more pictures,
but as he prepares to take the photo, the police arrive then drive off when Carrot’s gang
arrives. In the ensuing gunfight, Ned is killed by a boy who has infiltrated his gang to avenge
his father, a civilian whom Ned has shot. Since Ze has been bribing the police, they take all
of his money and let him go, but Rocket secretly photographs the scene. The runts murder Ze
to avenge the Runt he murdered, they intend to take over the criminal enterprise themselves.
Rocket contemplates whether to publish the photo of the cops, exposing corruption and
becoming famous, or the photo of Ze’s dead body, which will get him an internship at the
newspaper. He decides on the latter option and the film ends with the Runts walking around
the City of God, making a hit list of the dealers they plan to kill to take over the drug
business, including the red brigade.
Example, exam-style essay introduction
City of God (Fernando Meirelles/Katia Lund, Brazil, 2002) is a coming of age film
entrenched in political turbulence and the corruption of a war-torn world. Contextually, the
film is set against a backdrop of an oppressive social hierarchy, focusing on the destruction of
childhood innocence. City of God (CoG) is set in one of Brazil’s most notorious favelas. The
WJEC Eduqas A-level Film Studies Revision Notes (2019 Specification)
City of God - Fernando Meirelles/ Katia Lund, Brazil, 2002
Synopsis
City of God (Cidade de Deus) begins with an armed gang chasing after an escaped chicken in
the favela. The chicken stops between the gang and the narrator, a man named Rocket
(Buscape) before flashing back to the 1960s where the favela is shown as a newly built
housing project. The first section of the film is ‘The Story of the Tender Trio,’ three
impoverished amateur thieves Shaggy, Clipper and Rocket’s brother Goose. The trio rob
business owners and share the money in the community who, in turn, hide them from the
police. Li’l Dice (later Li’l Ze) convinces the trio to hold up a motel and rob its occupants.
The gang decides not to kill anyone and instructs Li’l Dice to serve as a lookout. Instead, Li’l
Dice falsely warns the trio that the police are coming and guns down the motel occupants.
The massacre is brought to the police’s attention, forcing the trio to split up: Clipper joins the
church, Shaggy is shot by police while trying to escape the favela and Goose is shot by Li’l
Dice after taking his money while Benny, Shaggy’s brother watches.
The second section of the film ‘The Story of Li’l Ze’ focuses on the favela in the 1970s.
Rocket has joined a group of young hippies where he enjoys photography and likes one girl,
Angelica. However, his attempt to get close to her are ruined by a gang of petty criminals
known as “The Runts”. Li’l Dice, who is now known as Li’l Ze, has established a drug
empire with Benny eliminating all of the competition except for Carrot who is a good friend
of his. Li’l Ze takes over ‘the apartment’, a known drug distribution centre, and forces
Carrot’s manager Blacky to work for him instead. Coincidentally, Rocket visits the apartment
to get drugs off Blacky during the raid. Through narration, Rocket momentarily considers
attempting to kill Li’l Ze to avenge his brother but decides against it. He is let go after Benny
tells Li’l Ze that Rocket is Goose’s brother.
Whilst the City of God is under the reign of Li’l Ze, relative peace comes over the favela.
Benny decides to branch out of the drug dealer crowd and befriends Tiago, Angelica’s ex-
boyfriend, who introduces him to Rocket’s friend group. Benny and Angelica begin dating
and together they decide to leave the city and the drug trade. During Benny’s farewell party,
he and Ze get into an argument. Blacky accidentally kills Benny while trying to shoot Ze.
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Carrot kills Blacky for endangering his life. Ze and a group of soldiers start to make their way
to Carrot’s hideout with the intention of killing him. On the way, Ze follows a girl who
dismissed his advances at Benny’s party; he beats up her boyfriend, a peaceful man named
Knockout Ned and rapes her. After Ned’s brother stabs Ze, his gang retaliates by gunning
down his house and killing his brother and uncle in the process. A gang war breaks out
between Carrot and Ze, a vengeful Ned sides with Carrot.
A year later in the 1980s ‘The Story of Knockout Ned’, the war continues, the origin
forgotten. Both sides enlist more soldiers and Ze gives the Runts weapons. Ze has Rocket
take photos of him and his gang. A reporter publishes these photos which is of major interest
since nobody is able to safely enter the City of God anymore. Rocket believes that Lil Ze will
kill him for publishing the photos but, unbeknownst to him, Li’l Ze was jealous of Ned’s
fame so is pleased that these photos have increased his notoriety.
Rocket returns to the city to take more photographs, bringing the film back to the opening
scene. Confronted by the gang, Rocket is surprised that Ze asks him to take more pictures,
but as he prepares to take the photo, the police arrive then drive off when Carrot’s gang
arrives. In the ensuing gunfight, Ned is killed by a boy who has infiltrated his gang to avenge
his father, a civilian whom Ned has shot. Since Ze has been bribing the police, they take all
of his money and let him go, but Rocket secretly photographs the scene. The runts murder Ze
to avenge the Runt he murdered, they intend to take over the criminal enterprise themselves.
Rocket contemplates whether to publish the photo of the cops, exposing corruption and
becoming famous, or the photo of Ze’s dead body, which will get him an internship at the
newspaper. He decides on the latter option and the film ends with the Runts walking around
the City of God, making a hit list of the dealers they plan to kill to take over the drug
business, including the red brigade.
Example, exam-style essay introduction
City of God (Fernando Meirelles/Katia Lund, Brazil, 2002) is a coming of age film
entrenched in political turbulence and the corruption of a war-torn world. Contextually, the
film is set against a backdrop of an oppressive social hierarchy, focusing on the destruction of
childhood innocence. City of God (CoG) is set in one of Brazil’s most notorious favelas. The
