Rio Grande

FERNANDO MEIRELLES'S GRITTY BRAZILIAN DRAMA, CITY OF GOD

City of God is almost too good to be true—a heart-pounding roller-coaster ride of a film set against a gritty, funkified Brazilian backdrop that just gets more fascinating by the frame. Yet it is true—all too true, in fact. The film is drawn from the best-selling novel by Paulo Lins, based on real events in the Cidade de Deus favela, or ghetto, of Rio de Janeiro. The hellish City of God is itself one of the most bewitching characters: as we watch it grow, sprawl, and transform over the years—becoming ever more menacing (and devouring its young)—it morphs from a benign new development in the late 60s to a maze-like battleground in the cocaine-fueled 80s. The film's central characters are just as compelling: Lil Ze, the bloodthirsty drug lord of the hood; his more benevolent partner, Benny, who'd rather just samba at street parties; and Rocket, the film's narrator, who provides a special lens on this world through his photography. First-time director Fernando Meirelles has merged the shantytown dynamism of The Harder They Come with the inventiveness, say, of Quentin Tarantino or Guy Ritchie. The result is so vibrant and powerful, you'll be left reeling. (Rating: ★★★★)

ANDERSON TEPPER