If you’ve ever wondered what happened to the young actors in Fernando Meirelles’ and Kátia Lund’s 2002 Brazilian crime drama “Cidade de Deus” (or “City Of God”), here’s a film that should satisfy your curiosity.
Titled “Cidade De Deus – 10 Anos Depois” (“City Of God – 10 Years Later”), the documentary shows what exactly has changed in the lives of the actors from the 2002 feature film which told a story of the evolution of organized crime over 2 decades, and became an instant classic in the USA. It was adapted from a 1997 novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins, with the plot based loosely on real-life events.
Most of the actors were recruited directly from the favelas in which the film’s story unfolds.
In the end, it received 4 Oscar nominations in 2004: Best Cinematography, Best Directing, Best Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay.
And it gave birth to a TV series titled “City of Men,” which was followed by a feature film version of that, also called “City of Men.”
In the feature documentary, “City Of God – 10 Years Later,” we revisit the film’s stars a decade after their Rio de Janeiro slum burst into the world’s consciousness with the hit film of the same name; and as you will see in the documentary, not a lot has changed for the residents of the favela, and the actors themselves have enjoyed mixed fortunes; like Leandro Firmino who played Li’l Ze, and who still lives in the favela, 35 years old, and father to a 21-month-old boy, and shows few remnants of the fame he achieved in the earlier years of this century, when the film thrilled audiences everywhere.
On the other hand, co-star Alice Braga did make the crossover to Hollywood movie-making, co-starring in blockbusters like “I Am Legend” opposite Will Smith, “Redbelt” opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor, “Elysium” opposite Matt Damon, the “Predators,” “Repo Men” and more.
The cast also included Alexandre Rodrigues, Jonathan Haagensen, Douglas Silva, each with their own stories, and Seu Jorge (Knockout Ned in the original film), who went on to become a successful singer/songwriter.
“City Of God – 10 Years Later” has now been added to Netflix’s streaming service, so you can watch it right now, assuming you’re a Netflix customer.
Check out a extended promo for the documentary, below:
