I'm Dreaming of a White Carnaval
After missing the Abominable Blizzard of 2003, Chicago finally received her first healthy snow dump tonight - a whopping 7+ inches. That's a lot but doesn't seem like much when compared to how bad NYC and DC were a few weeks ago. Not that I'm complaining. Snow is an interesting character - we marvel at the beautiful frosted landscapes and then quickly sober up as the snow transforms into a big frozen mess. The streets accumulate streams of dirty slush which is then plowed to the curb and becomes a mound of black ice and shit. This is pretty interesting evidence of how dirty automobiles really are. Not to mention the automobiles themselves get a slopped over with this stuff combined with a nice crust of street salt. And it probably will be sometime in April when we see the last of these mounds of black ice and shit finally melt away.
Breaking the tradition of my strict "I Have To See Tits On Fat Tuesday" policy**, I saw a movie this evening with my friend Emily. We went to my new favorite art house theater in Chicago which is showing Cidade de Deus or City of God on one of their seven huge art house screens. I suppose watching a Brazillian film was somewhat appropriate considering the Carnaval/Mardi Gras festivities this evening.
Yes, the film is from Brazil and was adapted from the novel of the same name which documents the government housing project of the same name outside of Rio de Janeiro during the 1960s and 70s. The story is told by one of slums' residents, Busca-Pe (Rocket), a poor black kid who rides the fence between a life of crime and honest work. He is not necessarily the focus of the film's attention as he explains the history and the rise of drug trafficking in the neighborhood. This creates an extremely violent environment that Rocket, and the rest of the characters, must try to survive in. Most fail to do so.
The City of God neighborhood is described in the film as Purgatory, Hell and Vietnam. It is definitely portrayed as nothing less than an urban war zone, which thousands of people live happy and tragic lives simultaneously. Living in homes without running water and electricity doesn't sound as bad as it looks. The cinematography makes an incredible achievement showing what it is like walking around a huge neighborhood without any light. The cinematography also left me with a war photographer/no steady-cam feeling in my stomach but this is appropriate both for the setting of the film as well as the narrator's own story.
This film definitely ranks as one of - if not the most violent film I have ever seen. The opening sequence in which chickens are being slaughtered to eat is a hilarious warning of what is to come. A chicken escapes down the street and the "hoods" chase after it, shooting their guns at it as if it is a natural reflex to shoot at a chicken running through a neighborhood. This scene is eventually revisited and the second time around, it isn't surprising in the least to see them shooting at their meal running away down the street.
I strongly recommend City of God to anyone, especially if they have the stomach for violent films. The film offers an invaluable experience in the humanity of a people and community much different from our own.
** I actually don't have a "I Have To See Tits On Fat Tuesday" policy
I was just listening to Underworld - Mmm Skyscraper I Love You
