Hurt City

"A Picture could change my life, but if you run away, they get you, and if you stay they get you too." City of God- 2002

http://www.miramax.com/movie/city-of-god/

City of God

              

              The film City of God conveys its historical context by giving us dates every time the movie jumps ahead in time. The film also uses music and clothing to show the changes in decades. The film does not follow a standard chronological timeline. It opens in one of the final scenes of the film, then flashes all the way back to the 1960s. The favela in the 1960s looks like a poor small town or suburb. The children play soccer on a large dirt field with a goal with no net. The jobs that are available are either backbreaking work or simply undesirable, like selling fish in the Brazilian heat. There either isn't much of a drug trade in the favela in the sixties, or the main characters are not yet involved enough with the trade to see it that early in the film. Although, the hoods are often seen smoking weed. By the seventies the streets of the favela are paved and the now teenagers have discovered the beach. This is where they seem to spend most of their time. The drug trade looks like it is growing, and so are the options for drugs. Coke is now becoming a popular choice instead of marijuana. By the eighties the drug trade has grown as big as the city. As the drug trade grew, the amount of regular jobs in the city decreased and the drug trade became a fairly reliable (but dangerous) job.  

http://commfilm.ucalgary.ca/filmsociety/node/29

This photo shows the favela in the sixties. It had dirt roads and cheaply made cookie cutter houses.

  

netflix.com

This photo shoes the favela in the seventies with paved streets and sidewalks. 

http://fedrev.net/?tag=city-of-god

This final photo shows the favela in the eighties. Tall buildings have engulfed the small houses.

                Rocket, the films protagonist and narrator, is a hard working young man. He stays fairly strait laced through the course of the film. His good heart, work ethic, and intelligence help the audience relate to him. Rocket was never comfortable with participating in hold ups and the drug trade. He preferred to learn a trade and go to school. Rocket represents progress and hope for future generations. 

                Rocket is faced with the choice between easy money in the drug trade with his friends or a hard honest living. He is unable to keep any job for very long because of his skin color and presumed reputation. Rocket deals with this by working harder to achieve his dream of becoming a photographer. He takes a job as a paper boy and makes friends with man in the photo lab. By doing this he is able to get his photos developed and subsequently put in the newspaper without his knowledge. This makes him famous in the news office and he begins to take photos of Li’l Ze’s gang. This is where he gets his true start as a photographer. Rocket is faced with the choice of running from danger and missing the photo or staring danger in the face to earn his dream.

http://themovieshow.blogspot.com/

                Li’l Ze’s character began his life as Li’l dice. During the seventies he visited a witch doctor who gave him an amulet for protection and changed his name to Li’l Ze. The film portrays Li’l Ze as a heartless killing machine who is driven by money and power. He rules his favela and keeps the streets and stores safe from robberies and hold ups. The audience is able to relate to him though his almost paternal concern for his city. The film also calls Li’l Ze ugly, and because of this he is unable to find a girlfriend. The audience is made to feel sorry for him about getting turned down to dance, but then he rapes a woman and the audience is completely disconnected from his character. Li’l Ze is representative of violence and malice.

                Benny is a smooth talking, pretty, playboy and Li’l Ze’s right hand man. Benny isn't nearly as serious as Li’l Ze. He falls in love with a girl and plans to get out of the drug trade business and begin a hippy lifestyle with her on a farm far away from City of God. He was able to cross social lines and blend in comfortably with any crowd. This is seen at his going away party where he is unfortunately killed on the night he was planning to leave. The audience easily related to Benny’s friendly and inviting personality.  Benny represented friendship and love.

http://imgbuddy.com/benny-city-of-god.asp

                Knockout Ned was in the military, and after he left was only able to find work taking bus fares. The audience is able to relate to him because of kindness and stance against violence. The woman that knockout Ned was dating was the woman that Li’l Ze raped. Li’l Ze then forgets to kill Knockout Ned and when he goes back to kill him, he ends up killing part of Ned’s family in a shootout. Ned then wants revenge against Li’l Ze and this back and forth grows into an all-out drug war. Ned’s character changes in this short amount of time from a kind pacifist to a killing machine. Knockout Ned represents the pain and change that the drug trade causes in individuals.

                This film conveys a message about the cycle of violence that occurs in places like City of God. The final scene of the film shows a group of children no older than thirteen making a blacklist of people to kill. The audience is reminded of the fact that these are still children because no self-respecting hood would continuously run out of his shoes while going down the street like Giant (a small child) did. Whether or not these children understand the consequences of killing, they will most likely go on to knock off everyone on their blacklist. Such is the cycle of violence. 

netflix.com

Final scene as the young children walk down the street talking about who to kill first.

References

• City of God PowerPoint 

Are You My Mother?

 "It will end! It will end! This habit of killing!"

"Let them tell us where those kidnapped babies are!"

"You ill-begotten military men, what have you done with our missing ones?"

"The foreign debt and the corruption are the worst shit our nation has ever had!"

"And what about Malvinas? Those boys who never came back!

We must never forget them! That’s why we must fight!" 

The Official History- 1985

http://cubaninlondon.blogspot.com/2009/12/la-historia-oficial-official-story.html

The Official Story

                In the film The Official Story, the audience is reminded that history is written by those who win the war, and that while there might be an “official story” there will always be other versions. Those other versions may have darker, but truer, plot lines than the official story prefers to advertise. Early in the film Alicia buts head with a student in her class about the credibility of his sources listed in a paper. By the end of the film Alicia is open to the fact that history may not always be how it was written in the books. I believe that this title relates to the history of Argentina because right after Peron’s entrance into the presidency the people were happy. If history books only focus on this portion of his story, people would be convinced that his presidency was a successful one. This is not the case though, Peron went on to censor the press, limit union activity, and attack the Catholic Church. He then ultimately legalized organized killing though encouraging his supporters to kill those who did not agree with his cause. The title of this film suggests that there is much more to Argentina’s history than meets the eye. 

http://comebacktothefiveanddime.blogspot.com/

                Alicia’s character is a dedicated mother, school teacher, and unassuming wife. The audience is meant to relate to her through her dedication to her job and her love for her daughter. The audience is to feel heartbroken for Alicia as she searches for her daughter’s biological family despite the fact it may mean that Gabby will be taken away. Simply by researching her daughter’s origins Alicia could be putting herself and her family in danger, but her hunger for the truth pushes her forward. Alicia represents honesty and the journey for honest knowledge. In the beginning of the film Alicia represents an unquestioning individual that is too trusting of what she reads in books. She evolves though the course of the film into a questioning, honest individual.  

                This film is told from Alicia’s point of view. She begins the film an unquestioning loyal member of the government’s society, but ends the film an independent inquisitive individual. This change begins when her longtime friend Ana confides in her about the torture she endured for living with a revolutionary. This makes her begin to think about where her daughter came from and question the integrity of those around her. She begins to change as she gathers more and more information about Gabby and other children like her.

http://www.popmatters.com/feature/129318-essential-film-performances-2010-edition-part-one/

                Roberto, Alicia’s husband, works for the government. It is through his job that he and Alicia “adopt” Gabby. The audience members are meant to relate to his will to support and protect his family. His temper sometimes leads him to hurt those he loves. Because of this the audience is distanced from him and no longer supports him, especially after he forces Gabby’s grandmother out of his home. Roberto values family, but only his own. He has no desire to reconnect Gabby to her biological family. By the end of the film the audience wants to cut all ties with him when he goes on to abuse Alicia.

                Ana, Alicia’s friend, was a victim of the torture imparted on those associated with individuals labeled as subversive. Ana told her story to Alicia one night after having a few drinks. Alicia is completely taken aback when she hears this terrible story. Ana tells Alicia about the infants taken away from their mothers while they were being held in the prisons. The audience is meant to feel sorry for Ana. They are also meant to relate to her determination to keep going. Ana values safety and friendship. She represents all of the unfairness that has been happening to individuals in Argentina.

https://quepasafilms.wordpress.com/category/1/

                 Benitez is one of Alicia’s colleagues. He was pushed out of his last teaching position at a university because of his opinions about the government’s handling of the people. The audience is meant to relate to his rebellion and determination to keep teaching despite being told to stop. Benitez helps Alicia in her search for knowledge and is one of the first individuals who makes her stop and think about what’s really happening in Argentina. Benitez represents learning and knowledge.

                The Mothers and Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo is a real grass roots human rights organization devoted to bringing those disappeared home. Alicia meets a member of this group while she is at the hospital she believes Gabby was born in. She lies to the member saying that she lost her child so that they will help her gather information about where Gabby really came from. The audience is meant to support and root for this groups’ success. The audience greatly relates to this group through their pain from the loss of their children and family. The mothers and Grandmother of the Plaza de Mayo represent justice.

http://comebacktothefiveanddime.blogspot.com/

                One of the messages in this film is to question everything, and to never take things for face value. The film’s message about this time period is that this was an extremely difficult and dangerous time for people living in Argentina. It shows that history may be skewed to fit the writer’s agenda, but those who question the history books can gain a new level of understanding of their country. The mothers and grandmothers brave enough to stand up against the people who stole their loved ones are the true heroes of this film. 

https://madresdemayo.wordpress.com/the-dirty-war/

References

• The Official Story PowerPoint 

The Prince and the Pauper

"I'm not from here; I'm from the other side of the river. Look at me!"- Gonzalo, Machuca-2004

http://www.moviepostershop.com/machuca-movie-poster-2004

Machuca

               

               The film Machuca is set in Santiago just before Augusto Pinochet’s military coup in 1973. The film is about a small newly formed group of friends trying to understand the changing world around them. Gonzalo Infante is a privileged boy who is intelligent, goes to private school, and is bullied by the school tyrant. He soon befriends one of the new boys the school brings in from the nearby shantytown. The two band together to protect themselves from the bullies in school then become close friends by spending time at each other’s homes. Pedro Machuca introduces Gonzalo to an entirely new world filled with a kind of people he had never met before. Through Pedro, Gonzalo also meets Silvana, a feisty and outspoken girl. The three attempt to find solid ground while they navigate the political and social differences they are finding in each other’s lives.  

                The film follows a chronological order that remains fairly consistent throughout the film. Key moments in the film revolve around the three friends’ relationship with each other. The first key moment in the film is when the school bully pits the two boys against each other, but Gonzalo refuses to hit Machuca for no reason. I believe two other key moments include when the two boys see each other’s homes for the first time. While this isn't as big a deal for Gonzalo, this is a large milestone for Pedro. Many of Pedro’s other peers at school would never think to invite their impoverished friend over to their home. But Gonzalo does.

http://www.offoffoff.com/film/2005/machuca.php

               Pedro then has Gonzalo over to his home. This is a larger step for the two boys and the tension is apparent for the two characters. The boys’ friendship is further solidified through the rallies and protests they attend to sell flags and earn money. The two boys become comfortable in and around each other’s homes.Soon after this happens Pedro’s father is seen coming home in the middle of the day drunk and seemingly out of work. He terrorizes the kids by saying that while Gonzalo’s life will move on and continue to evolve and grow, Pedro’s will become static in an empty existence of scrubbing toilets for a living.  

                At this point in the film the political turmoil begins to affect the children’s friendship. This is when Silvana spits on the car that Gonzalo’s mother is riding in. Initially Gonzalo’s mother attempts to stand up for the girl, but when Silvana turns on her, Gonzalo’s mother changes her opinion of Silvana extremely quickly. She is no longer a little girl caught up in parade, but instead she is seen as everything wrong with the communist party. Once Silvana finds out that the woman was Gonzalo’s mother, the friendship officially begins to fall apart with no apparent way to repair it. Silvana and Pedro begin to turn on Gonzalo. 

http://veehd.com/video/4587009_Machuca-2004-Spanish-EngSubs

                 In the next few day the government is shaken down and the military begins to round up anyone who may be a communist sympathizer. Gonzalo races to Pedro’s neighborhood to find out what was happening to his once friends. Gonzalo arrives just in time to see Silvana and her father being ripped from their home. Then in the most final kind of ending Silvana is shot and killed in front of the two boys while trying to save her father from the soldiers. The Pinochet coup is the checkpoint of no return for the boys’ friendship. Even if they were able to work out their personal differences, the government powers in control would make it next to impossible for the boys to ever become friends again.

http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/07.13.05/machuca-0528.html

Gonzalo and Pedro

                Gonzalo Infante is a primary, fictional character. The audience is meant to relate to him through his innocence and naivety. He knows that here is political unrest in his country, but like most other children, doesn't entirely understand all of the implications. The audience members can relate to him as he learns about the other side of his country. Gonzalo represents innocence and innocence lost. In the beginning of the film Gonzalo loosely values the same ideals that his parents do (which are somewhat contradictory between his mother and father to begin with). When Gonzalo begins to see the other side of his city he begins to question these values. He is exposed to communism and the uglier side of his own social class. Gonzalo is representative of his own position in society through the clothing he wears and the school his parents pay for him to attend. He is unrepresentative of his position in society by “crossing the border” and going into the impoverished side of town. He also defies the norm by attending rallies of both sides and learning about earning a living.

                Pedro Machuca is a primary, fictional character. Pedro’s life of hardship is what endears him to the audience. The audience is meant to feel sorry for Pedro and his family. Because of this the audience becomes a little more open to the idea of communism and the way it may help Pedro, his family, and his community. Pedro’s character represents hard work and family loyalty. Pedro values hard work and friendship. He also values fair and equal opportunities for all people. This never changes throughout the film, except for his duplicity towards Gonzalo near the end of the film.

                Silvana is a fictional primary character. Silvana’s outspoken personality and bluntness makes her seem courageous and strong to the audience. Her personality is reminiscent of an angsty junior high preteen and that helps the audience relate to her harsh outer layer. In stark contrast to Pedro and Gonzalo, Silvana represents everything other than innocence. Her values are fixed and never waver through the film. She knows what she wants, and knows how to manipulate people to get it. Silvana represents rebellion.

https://theworldonfilm.wordpress.com/tag/machuca/

                Father McEnroe is based off a real figure in history, the individual the film is dedicated to. The audience is meant to relate to Father McEnroe’s anger at the end of the film. His need to help people and selflessness are not only part of his profession, but also the things he values the most. This doesn't change throughout the film. When his outrage towards the military men running the school out ways his calm demeanor he removes the Holy Spirit from the cathedral and is then escorted from the premises. Father McEnroe represents everything that is fair and good.

                The subtext of the film suggests that Allende’s presidency offered optimism for change that would affect the classes. This hope was generally for the impoverished. The coup ended all hope of the social change. The film offers a theme of innocence lost. The children featured in this film fight against all odds to keep their friendship alive. Pedro and Silvana’s innocence was lost much before Gonzalo’s, although his was jaded by his mother’s affair. The children’s government attempted to create peace but ultimately failed, and this is tragedy was reflected in the children.  

http://www.flicks.co.nz/movie/machuca/

References

• Pamela Constable and Arturo Valenzuela, “The War” in A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet
• Machuca PowerPoint 

When Hell Freezes Over

"Just like that. Son for son, tooth for tooth." -El Infierno 2010

imdb.com

El Infierno

                The film El Infierno is set in the fictional town of San Miguel Arcángel, Mexico in 2010. The film uses the political agenda of the Mexican government to help convey the historical context of the time. It is clear throughout the film that, while the town’s leaders are intertwined with the drug trade, the Mexican government is starting a sort of “war on drugs.” Because the town is generally in poverty and is in such a rural part of Mexico, it is difficult to date the film based on the surroundings.

                 The film depicts rural northern Mexico as impoverished with a great social and economic divide between those who are running/ working with the drug trade and those who are not. When Benny first arrives back to the town he is horrified by the fact that his younger brother was involved with the drug trade and murdered because of it. He is then caught off guard by the fact that murders are happening in the streets in the middle of the day. Benny stands with a couple of women next to the body of a newly killed young man. When Benny asks what happened and what they’re doing the younger woman says, “Don’t you know? This is our daily bread. Remember we are at war.” She then moves to take something off of the dead man’s body and hurries away with the older woman.

                At this point Benny is completely against the drug trade and struggles to find work. He is finally employed by his Godfather, Don Rogaciano, who holds firm against selling out his business to the drug lords. It is clear that business is bad, but Don Rogaciano would do anything for his godson. Benny is haunted by the fact he doesn't know who killed his brother. He is directed to his brother’s widow, La Lupe who works as a prostitute and waitress to support herself and her son, El Diablito.

http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2014/20-essential-films-for-an-introduction-to-new-mexican-cinema/

El Diablito, Lupe, Benny

                Benny is forced into asking El Cochiloco for money when El Diablito is arrested. This 

officially brings Benny into the drug trade and he soon establishes an important role for himself in the ranks of the gang members. The film shows Cochi and Benny visiting almost all the businesses in the small town and surrounding areas, selling large amounts of drugs and other outlawed items. Benny is now completely entangled in the very thing he was sickened by in the start of the film. 

                Benny’s hometown is a reflection of what is happening in the national field. There are corrupted local government officials all the way up to the federal agents who were sent to help seek out the ring leaders in the drug gangs. The film simulates the look of the national government on the small local level of this town. Especially towards the end of the movie several of the films characters state their doubts about the national government’s honesty and intentions.

                The film’s primary characters are Benny Garcia, Lupe, Cochi, and the Reyes family and their minions. Benny Garcia is the lovable main character. Even when he becomes highly involved with the drug trade the audience is still meant to relate to him and see him as a good guy. Benny’s inner conflict at killing the first rival gang member endears him to us. Benny is about to let him go when the rival member almost shoots Benny in return for his kindness. In a split second Benny shoots his opponent and the audience is still on Benny’s side despite the killing. Benny’s character represents survival. We are meant to relate to Benny’s strong sense of family and loyalty.

http://cinescopia.com/el-infierno-retrato-y-unas-pinceladas-de-ficcion/2010/09/infierno-1/

Benny

                Lupe is a hard working woman. While she is a prostitute the audience hardly ever sees her in a negative light because of it. Usually in films when women are prostitutes the audience is meant to feel pity or repulsion for the woman. But, in this film Lupe is seen as a strong woman who knows what she’s doing. When Benny first meets her at Lupe’s home he says she should be a better influence for her son, and she kicks him out with no hesitation. The audience relates to her through her love for her son. As soon as Lupe arrives home she asks her son how he is, if he’s eaten, and if his homework is done. These are things all mothers ask. By the film showing this, they make her human again. Lupe represents hard work, survival, and motherhood.

                The first time we meet Cochi in the film, we are meant to be intimidated by him. It doesn't take long for the film to establish him as Benny’s best friend. Cochi is meant to be the friend we all want to have. He knows a lot about everything, and is seemingly fearless (except for his reasonable fear of the Reyes).  He is kind to Benny and is a family man. We are meant to relate to him through all these things. Cochi represents friendship.

https://pachucodemexico.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/esto-es-el-infierno-y-no-chingaderas-el-cochiloco/

Benny and Cochi

                From the outside the Reyes family is a dynasty of terrible power. We get a look inside the family to see a dopey son, controlling (typical) Latina wife, and the obedient husband that the wife has created. From the inside this family reflects the one watching it. Through these things we are meant to relate to the Reyes family. When J.R. is killed we see a family in mourning. Granted, they mourn in their own way by killing people, but they are still in mourning. This makes them human. The family represents wealth, power, and terror.

                Benny struggles with his moral compass throughout the film. He knows he doesn't want to work for the drug trade, but he also knows he has to support his family. He gets caught up in the money and power. At some point in the middle of the film, I think when he tries cocaine for the first time, he forgets how dangerous what he’s doing is. Several times he is shaken out of this daze, but never takes these warnings seriously until El Diablito’s life is in danger. When there is a price put on El Diablito’s head, Benny realizes he can’t wait any longer to get out of the drug trade. He sends Diablito across the border then goes to the feds. By hoping to gain safety, he almost loses his life. He outsmarts the feds that are taking him to Reyes, but makes it back to his home to find Lupe murdered in their bed. At this point there isn't much left of the Benny we began the film with. Without another thought Benny walks into the town celebration honoring Reyes’ election to the mayoral position and shoots all the people he blames for Lupe’s murder and his life of crime.

                While the film seems to condemn the governments handling of the drug trade, and the drug trade in general, it also glamorizes it and makes it seem like a reasonable way to live life in Mexico.  The film uses family as a driving force for the drug trade. A family controls the drug trade in the town, and Benny joins in to support his family. Cochi is able to build a beautiful large house for his family. The opposing drug ring is led by the brother of Jose Reyes and people are murdered all throughout the film because they are related to the wrong people. The film has a major message of blood is thicker than water.   

http://www.dimex1.com/blog/el-infierno-movie-poster/

References

• Alma Guillermoprieto, “Murderers of Mexico” New York Review of Books October 28, 2010