Cidade De Deus: A Portrayal Of The Stereotypical Ideology Of Impoverished Brazilian Communities Through The Dynamic Character Li’l Ze.

By: Cristal Concepcion

Within the novel Cidade De Deus (City of God), Paulo Lins portrays an authentic perspective of what living and surviving in an environment such as the favelas (Brazilian slums) consist of. The purpose of the novel is to bring attention upon the life of many living in poverty in those communities of Brazil that are unmentioned and forgotten. Both mediums of Cidade De Deus incorporate the same ideas, concepts and settings. However, the ways in which the messages/story lines come about and are portrayed are very different. In order to visually grasp the many concepts and societal frameworks within the novel, director Fernando Meirelles, who brought the novel to life in 2002, executed minor changes in order to incorporate all the crucial and complex frameworks that really encompass and properly convey the message being portrayed. Personally, I believe the way Meirelles interpreted the novel was visually accurate due to the true graphics and setting, integrating specific details needed to grasp and understand the extent of Lin’s novel.

Throughout this paper, I will be discussing the many societal frameworks such as classism, social exclusion, gender inequality and machismo, that are used within both the novel and film alike to depict a stereotypical ideology of impoverished Brazilian communities. I will be focusing on one of the main characters who goes by the name Li’l Ze and how his character enhances characteristics believed to be possessed by individuals within the favelas of Brazil.

BACKGROUND:

Cidade De Deus is considered to be a Brazilian film that depicts the growth of organized crime in the Cidade de Deus suburb of Rio de Janeiro, between the 1960s and the beginning of the 1980s, showcasing war between two drug dealers in the neighborhood. One of them known as Li’l Ze. The story is mainly about two young boys, Li’l Ze and Rocket, who take different paths in life. One becomes a successful drug dealer and the other is an aspiring photographer. The film is narrated by the aspiring photographer, Rocket. Rocket starts to document the drug crimes and violence in his neighborhood, which are led by his childhood friend Li’l Ze. As the plot unfolds, there’s an increase in turf war and rivalry between the gangs that inhabit the favelas.

CLASSISM & VIOLENCE

Neighborhoods in the city of god consist of bloodbath and the rising of power. Young boys and men alike who live within the favelas contribute to all of the riots caused, due to the inevitable cycle of violence overlooked within the community. Contrary to its name, Cidade De Deus portrays the helplessness and misery that makes up the society (“M.” Jotted Lines, 22 July 2012). The first scene of Cidade De Deus, the chaos is already prevalent through the eyes of a chicken as it tries to escape the the fate of being caught and slaughtered, symbolizing that life within the favelas is a race against fate and fighting for survival (Diken, ‘City of God’). Bülent Diken wrote an essay where they discuss the many complex frameworks involved within the storytelling of City of God. Diken mentions the existence of social exclusion towards this helpless community due to the reputation it has, being viewed as a “wild zone” characterized by a collapsing civil society and weak “civilizing process.”

Within the Film Li’l Ze is one of the most ruthless and murderous characters of all. There’s one important scene that’s crucial to the development of Li’l Ze’s character. The scene transitions from a young Li’l Ze, formerly known as Lil Dice, to evens of him as an adult to show how he’s become a significant staple to crime and the symbol of empowerment. The scene starts with young Lil Dice impatiently waiting outside the motel his friends are robbing. As time goes on he decides that he should join the others, not knowing that they had left the scene already. Lil Dice enters the room of a couple crying due to being robbed and threatened moments before. As the man in the room is telling Lil Dice to leave them alone, Dice raises his gun, aims at the man and shoots him in the head, the young lady following shortly after. The scene ends with the young boy laughing hysterically at the scene in front of him, and exits the room to continue his venture. This scene alone where young Li’l Dice is seen shooting innocent people out of pure bliss and adrenaline shows the measures taken in order to demonstrate resilience to weakness and the ability to become a man. The violence and poverty that’s prevalent in the community comes with the consequence of neglect and exclusion from the greater Brazilian population. Diken mentions that the only inclusion in society is made possible by “objects and subjects that act as mediators: drugs, guns and other commodities.” The only way for those in the favelas to participate in the “space or flow” of Brazil is by being a part of the exact thing that’s causing them to be excluded in the first place: drugs and crime.

In addition, the separation between societies are presented in the film through scenes that take place in the touristic areas, such as the beaches in Rio, and basic homes in other areas outside of the favelas. You see the difference in atmosphere, in the way the characters interact with one another, not on edge but relaxed and in the moment. This is mainly prominent through the scenes of Rocket, who is the main narrator in the film, interacting with friends at the beach outside the favelas. As well as scenes of him socializing with people from the newspaper company. The atmosphere and tones change from aggressive, tense and threatening to that of one more calming and at ease. Even though the scenes aren’t on for an extended amount of time or may seem irrelevant to the plot, those small details incorporated in the film enhance the portrayal of social exclusion towards the favelas.

PRESENTATION OF MACHISMO

City of God is seen as a “no-zone” and one of the most dangerous parts of Brazil. The mentality of being the most fearful is what most of the characters strive for. Becoming drug lords and gangsters at such a young age, their goal of becoming the most powerful the only motive they have in mind. Within an article written by Aaron Lorenz on how the novel maps racial and class differences in the favelas, he states how “the malandros portrayed in the novel are conscious of their poverty in relationship to racial barrier” showing that these men are constricted by the dynamics of their communities, having become susceptible to the reputation built for them, fighting for the sense of power through violence. Lins does an amazing job in depicting machismo as being one of the striking traits prevalent within the male characters. Violence is a source of power and fear is seen as entertainment, due to the idea that a man is not fearful or weak. There’s a line within the film said by one of the characters stating “Kill. Be respected” (Cidade De Deus). This line alone shows the significance of being respected and the only way that it’s attainable is through instilling fear in others. Just through the activities being executed throughout the film as well as the novel: murders, drug dealing, rapes, etc., the idea of instilling fear is a mechanism used to remove weakness from civilization. Li’l Ze who becomes the druglord and most feared in the favelas is a perfect example of machismo. As a child he unconsciously became driven through the power of murder, and did it continuously in order to prove that he was capable of power. Throughout the film, director Meirelles portrays the characterization of Li’l Dice “From his first victim in the form of Rocket’s brother to the later drug-dealing, megalomaniacal gang leader to his ruthless control of the place’s cartel a consistent and coherent picture of Li’l Dice emerges” (“M.” Jotted Lines, 22 July 2012). As one can see, throughout the many various and diabolical adventures carried out, within a place like the favelas the only encouragement present is the idea of kill or be killed.

Nonetheless, males are seen as the strong alpha dogs, while the females are seen as weaklings. The film has nothing to offer female audiences (“M.” Jotted Lines, 22 July 2012). The women aren’t seen as strong minded individuals who can survive and fight for themselves. On the contrary, the image of women is built around the success and presence of a man. Within both the novel and the film, whenever women are introduced, it’s only due to the sexual desire the male has developed. Director Meirelles as well as author Lins present the stereotypical ideology a woman is believed to exhibit. There aren’t many women in the film, but those who are, are the cause of heartache, madness and betrayal. The first female to be introduced properly is that of the character Cabeleira, who’s Benny’s girlfriend. When she is introduced into the film, she’s doing dishes while Benny observes her from behind. They then start to harmlessly flirt and develop a liking for one another. Another female character is introduced and even though she isn’t as important of a character, she depicts the ways in which the author and director alike portray the women. This female character, a older lady, is seen doing laundry in a bucket out in her yard as she’s conversing with a friend. At one point the focus is removed from the conversation visually, and on to her hands that are washing clothing. Women are viewed as being useful when related to domestic work and being in the presence of a man. These two contrasting frameworks of the masculine pride and the lack there of regarding the presence and essence of women complement each other well in regards to portray the views in which the author himself views women in his neighborhood while simultaneously encouraging the idea of masculine pride.

CONCLUSION

In both the film and novel “Cidade De Deus,” sociocultural factors such as social exclusion, classism, machismo and gender inequality are main themes used to depict a stereotypical ideology of impoverished Brazilian communities. Social exclusion is mainly present throughout the film via behavioral changes of characters and scenes involving areas from the two distinct perceptions of Brazil. In the novel it’s harder to detect the shift in setting. Even though both evoke the neglection of the community, the film does a better job at adapting the concepts of the book and accurately depicting them through ones, settings and behavioral changes. Furthermore, violence is used in both mediums as a way to further expand on the idea behind social exclusion; the gang related crimes prevalent within such communities, have an outcome of national neglect and disgrace.

Even though the novel is composed of multiple perspectives of young men who live in the favelas, the director makes a conscious choice of revolving the film around two contrasting perspectives; that of a drug dealer and one of an aspiring photographer. Having these contrasting point of views allows the audience to see the ways in which the frameworks affect the overall population of the favelas, not just those exclusively belonging to the crime and gang world.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Bellos, Alex. “Review: City of God by Paulo Lins.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 15 July 2006
2. Bülent Diken, ’City of God’, published by the Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YL, UK at http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/sociology/papers/diken-city-of-god.pdf
3. Cidade De Deus (City of God). (2002). [film] Directed by F. Meirelles and K. Lund. Rio De Janeiro , Brazil.
4. Lins, Paulo. Cidade De Deus. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2006.
5. Lorenz, Aaron. “Paulo Lins’ ‘Cidade De Deus’: Mapping Racial and Class Difference in the ‘Favela.’” JSTOR
6. M, and M, A collection of high-quality academic essays. “M.” Jotted Lines, 22 July 2012, jottedlines.com/society/city-of-god-cidade-de-deus-an-analysis/4/.