‘City of Men’ (2007)
Anybody who has grown up in a low-income community — irrespective of location — knows that even in the most dangerous “City of God” environments, there are many nonviolent people who are not committing crime and violence; they just don’t have the means to move to a safer and wealthier environment.
The spin-off series “City of Men,” which aired on Brazilian television after “City of God” was released, attempts to show this side of the favela. Over several seasons, the series focuses on the lives of two sometimes-schoolboys “Laranjinha” and “Acerola” as they experience everyday teenage anxieties in the midst of gang wars and police raids. The series concludes with a two-hour movie about the boys who, at that point, are almost ready to be called “men.”
