City of Men (2008) - Dark Horizons

City of Men

February 29th 2008

Drama, R, 105mins, Miramax Films

Cast: Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha, Rodrigo dos Santos, Jonathan Haagensen, Camila Monteiro, Naima Silva, Eduardo 'BR' Piranha, Luciano Vidigal, Pedro Henrique, Maurício Gonçalves, Vítor Oliveira, Babu Santana

Directors: Paulo Morelli
Writer: Elena Soarez
Producers: Andrea Barata Ribeiro, Bel Berlinck, Fernando Meirelles, Paulo Morelli
Associate Producer: Guel Arraes
Art Direction: Rafael Ronconi
Costumes: Inês Salgado
D.O.P.: Adriano Goldman
Editor: Daniel Rezende
Music: Antonio Pinto
Production Design: Rafael Ronconi

Storyline

In "City of Men," producer Fernando Meirelles ("The Constant Gardner") returns to the Brazilian favelas of his Academy Award-nominated film, "City of God." Growing up in a culture dictated by violence and run by street gangs, teenagers Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) have become close as brothers. With their eighteenth birthdays fast approaching, Laranjinha sets out to find the father he never met, while Acerola struggles to raise his own young son. But when they suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of a gang war, the lifelong friends are forced to confront a shocking secret from their shared past.

Basic Information

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cinematographic Process: Spherical
Film Format: 35mm
Filming Locations: Rio De Janiero, Brazil
Language: Portugese
MPAA Rating: Violent Content, Language and Some Sexuality
Production Companies: Fox Filmes do Brasil, Globo Filmes, O2 Filmes
Web Sites: Official Site - The IMDb

Trivia

- Based on the Brazilian television programme which ran for 19 episodes from 2002 through to 2005. The series was designed as a less violent and more light-hearted affair than "City of God" and is cited as a spin-off of that property.

- Each season of the series was set one year later than the last one, starting with them at 13. This film shows them turning 18 and dealing with those inherit problems.

- A closer look at the visual effects and character animation can be found at Phil Tipppett's official site.