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Screenwriter: Elena Soarez
Starring: Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha, Rodrigo dos Santos, Jonathan Haagensen
Running Time: 106 mins
Certificate: 15
Fernando Meirelles’s blistering 2002 gangster epic City Of God is streets apart from this melodramatic companion piece directed by his long-time collaborator Paulo Morelli, although both are set in the poverty-stricken favelas of Brazil. Arguably, the comparison is a little unfair as Meirelles took up position in the crossfire between warring drug dealers and Morelli stands further back to look at those battling to survive on the fringes of the chaos. Viewed as a standalone film, it does leave an impression with its stark, matter-of-fact approach to this extreme way of life.
Leading men Douglas Silva and Darlan Cunha return in different roles (after previously fronting a spin-off TV series) and it’s their chemistry that helps to smooth the rough edges on a plot handled like one of those canned-gasping, crash-zooming South American soaps. Acerola a.k.a. Ace (Silva) and Laranjinha, nicknamed Wallace (Cunha), are lifelong buddies shocked into adulthood as they turn 18. Fatherhood quickly emerges as a major theme with Ace struggling to raise his baby son and Wallace deciding to track down his absentee dad.
Considering that Wallace doesn’t even know his father’s name, the ease with which he finds him - just half-an-hour or so into the film - is vaguely ridiculous. Writer Elena Soarez (who also penned episodes of the TV series) puts a lot of stock in big, dramatic confrontations without worrying too much about the details of getting there. No sooner has Wallace discovered that his dad’s name is Heraldo, and that he’s serving time for murder and robbery, than Heraldo is granted parole and Wallace is meeting him (Rodrigo dos Santos) at the gates. Of course Heraldo is cagey at first, insisting that he has nothing to offer the boy. But then a turf war breaks out and everyone within range of Dead End Hill is forced to take sides.
Unfortunately for Wallace, the drugs kingpin about to be dethroned is his cousin, ominously dubbed Midnight (Jonathan Haagensen). Wallace is made a target by association, having nothing to do with Midnight in his everyday life. Actually, it comes across as a missed opportunity, especially in a first half sodden with domestic angst, that there is no direct friction between these naturally opposing characters. Morelli also loses the urgency and overall epic sweep that Meirelles’s film had in abundance.
Morelli does recapture the bristling, nervous energy of the streets with a roving camera and a startling, sun-bleached print. And, once Ace and Wallace are run off the hill, the plot too gathers momentum. Wallace hides out at his dad’s place, but the old man grumpily insists there is no room for his friend. The consequences are far-reaching, with Ace forced to accept shelter from Midnight and his gang, deep down knowing that it’s quid pro quo. As the heat on the street continues to build, Midnight asks Ace to take up arms for the final battle.
Ace’s dilemma - being caught between Midnight and his obligations to his son - strike a poignant note. It’s a shame that the situation is complicated by a clumsy revelation towards the end, pitting Ace against Wallace. Again, it’s the abrupt way that heads collide which shakes the foundations of the story. That said, the resulting emotional intensity is gripping. Silva and Cunha throw themselves wholeheartedly into their roles (drawing on their real-life experiences growing up in the favelas) and their rapport feels totally authentic. In front of and behind the scenes, it’s the strength of this bond which holds everything together.
