City of God: The Fight Rages On, a series that explores more than violence(ENG-ESP)
ENGLISH
"City of God" is one of my favorite movies. And if you’re reading this, it probably is for you too.
I was taken by surprise by the announcement of a new series of HBO.
Honestly, when I saw the trailer, I felt it had something of the typical Latin American soap operas about drug lords.
One thing I love about the movie is its editing: the pacing, the flashbacks, and the cutting.
After watching all the episodes released so far of "City of God: The Fight Rages On" (2024), I must say it lacks a bit of that wonderful editing.
But that doesn’t mean it's a negative thing. Fans of a story often make the mistake of wanting to see the same thing in a new installment.
The series features fantastic performances and exceptionally well-done cinematography, just like in the movie, especially the handheld camera work that gives it that signature style.
Indeed, the series, so far, is doing well narratively.
It continues the story of many characters like the protagonist, Buscapé, who has gone from being a shy teenager to, 20 years later, a successful photographer facing danger while covering shootings and other events in the favela.
Other characters appear, like Barbatinho, his old friend who is now a councilman fighting for the well-being of City of God, mediating between justice and criminals.
Berenice, Cabeleira's girlfriend, who starred in one of the most memorable scenes in cinema in the film, also appears in a more participatory role.
Braddock one of the members of Caixa Baixa, the gang of kids that took down Zé Pequeño, has now become a well-established drug dealer and wants more power upon his release from prison.
In fact, this is how the series begins, shaping the conflict that involves new characters.
The focus of the story goes beyond the aesthetics, which are also incredible.
Now, it touches on the issue of racism a bit more than the movie did.
We mustn't forget that Brazil is an extremely racist country, where the police disproportionately kill the Black population.
It’s still too early to say whether the series is good or bad, but in my opinion, it's off to a great start.
ESPAÑOL
Ciudad de Dios (2002), es una de mis películas favoritas. Y si estás leyendo esto, probablemente también lo sea para ti o al menos has escuchado de qué va.
Me tomó por sorpresa el anuncio de una nueva serie de HBO.
Sinceramente, al ver el tráiler, sentí que había algo de las típicas telenovelas latinoamericanas acerca de narcos.
Algo que me gusta tanto de la película es el montaje: su ritmo, los flashbacks y la edición.
Luego de ver todos los capítulos hasta la fecha de "Ciudad de Dios: la lucha no para", debo decir que carece un poco de ese maravilloso montaje.
Pero eso no significa que sea algo negativo. Y es que los fanáticos de una historia cometemos el error de querer ver lo mismo en una nueva entrega.
La serie tiene estupendas actuaciones y una fotografía muy bien lograda, tal como en la película, en especial la cámara en mano que le da ese sello característico.
En efecto, la serie, hasta ahora a nivel narrativo, va muy bien.
Continúa la historia de muchos personajes, como el protagonista, Buscapé, quien dejó de ser el adolescente tímido y, ahora, 20 años después, es un fotógrafo consagrado que se enfrenta al peligro al cubrir tiroteos y otros sucesos en la favela.
Aparecen otros personajes, como Barbatinho, su viejo amigo, que ahora es un concejal que lucha por el bienestar de Ciudad de Dios, mediando entre la justicia y los criminales.
Berenice, la novia de Cabeleira, quienes protagonizaron en la película una de las escenas más memorables del cine, también aparece con un rol más participativo.
Braddock, uno de los integrantes de los Caixa Baixa, la banda de niños que acabó con Zé Pequeño, ahora se ha convertido en un traficante consagrado y, al salir de la cárcel, quiere más poder.
De hecho, así inicia la serie, dando forma al conflicto que involucra a nuevos personajes.
El enfoque de la historia va más allá de la estética, que también es increíble.
Ahora toca el tema del racismo un poco más que en la película.
No hay que olvidar que Brasil es un país sumamente racista, donde la policía mata mucho más a la población negra.
Aún es pronto para decir si la serie es buena o mala, pero, en mi opinión, va muy bien.
It must've been twenty years ago since seeing City of God, but I do remember the gorgeous cinematography. For whatever reason though I keep mixing it up with Tropa de Elite, another brazilian movie tackling some of the same issues, but with a heavy emphasis on the police and BOPE. Or rather the "Battalion of Special Police Operations", an infamous tactical unit based in Rio de Janerio and sometimes referred to as a deathsquad. So basically one of arbiters of the exact kind of racism you've been hinting at.
The sequels of Tropa de Elite broaden the focus a little and explore aspects of the prison system and its connection to the more activist side of things. Nonetheless it's still very police centric, even if there's some growing degree of ambivalency. At lest compared to the original, that quite literally ended with the seemingly justified murder of a local drug lord, after the unit took their revenge. The third installment for that matter would dwelve even deeper into brazilian politics, which in retrospect seemed like a foreshadowing of whatever happened with Jair Bolsonaro.
In terms of HBO and its crime dramas I still fondly remember The Wire, which many consider one of the best TV shows of all time. Don't know if I would go that far, but I do think it hasn't been matched yet in terms of a milieu study, without having to resort to cookie cutter stereotypes. Or as much as the common police prodedurals go.
Anyhow, liked your review and I'm looking forward to watching the show.
I still need to watch Elite Squad. I didn’t know there was a sequel. Thank you for your valuable comment. I hope you watch the series and can write a review.