Your thoughts on the complexity of the cycle of violence in the favelas of Rio.
Comment on the filmmaking techniques in City of Men, The Emperor's Crown.
Discuss the seamless transition between narrative and documentary footage.
Did the narrative realistically portray issues of life in the favelas as presented in the two class handouts?
6 comments:
The cycles of violence in the favelas is literally endless. First of all, aproximatly 19% of the Rio population lives in a favelas (this was in 2004 so I'm sure it has grown exponentially). As we all have seen over in the middle east, it only takes one person with a different ideology to start conflict. And once that single event occurs, there is always a repercussion, and a repercussion that follows that repercussion and so on. The cycle of violence throughout the world is endless and it only takes one person. Now, here's a Rio favela with about 19% of the population. We just notice it more in places like Rio, because of higher population density. Essentialy it's just a microcosm for global society.
Second of all, the citizens of these illegal communities aren't given the same treatment as the rest of Rio. There are no personal addresses. no public services, no legal protection. The easy answer to this is that they brought it down on themselves. No lawman or public official would risk his neck in a favela. But, there are plenty of people not involved in drug dealing and murder within these comunities and it would be ignorant to place them all into one negative stereotype.
When there's 19% of the population, with no incentive to stay with in the laws of Rio authorities, of course there's going to be violence. The drug dealers start the conflict, but the government perpetuates it. It is true that recently the government is trying to bring in power and other utilities to these favelas- but you can't just ged rid of violence and poverty, not to mention an entire socierty that has lived wih that as a constant norm for decades. I'd say if you want a preview of where violence in the favelas is going, just look at Israel and Palestine. Different conflict, same philosophy. The oppressed and less fortunate searching for a society to call their own.
The filmmaking techniques in "City of Men, The Emperor's Crown" are a strange mixture of ultra-realism and childish fantasy. The handheld, multi-format style that was established in "City of God" persists in all its glory, however it's conjoined with childish animations and icons. The opening title, for instance, is so blatently childish in comparison to the rest of the show, it opens up the question whether or not the effects are a result of theme or lack of budget. The main characters running over a cartoon-like globe of 2D houses more closely resembles the begining titles for "Wishbone". I would be very curious to see what the filmmakers intent was behind this. I'm inclined to believe that it is a very deliberate choice to convey childhood mannerisms within the show.
There are other areas where the intent of these effects is more obvious: the classroom scene with the doodle animations on paper. In the same way that "To Kill a Mockingbird" presented complex ideas from a childs perspective; "City of Men, The Emperor's Crown" dipicts characters that are still holding onto their adolescent roots while adapting to a hostile enviornment.
Also, the episode mixed documentary footage as well as actor testimonials. These, in conjunction with the stylistic camera movements, and child-like animations, produces a product, that at first glance, seems like a structural mess. Once you get used to this though, the show reveals itself to be a very mature and thematically ingenious creation. It reflects life as a complicated cycle of conflict and escapism whose rules sometimes even elude the main characters. It allows us to see how various age groups respond to violence as well as crime.
"Emperor's Crown" was a very interesting episode, considering its stylistic choices. Aesthetically, a mash up of various formats used to re-created the frenetic lives of these kids. The experience is almost schizophrenic, the point of view constantly shifts catching bits of detail of the favelas and surrounding activity. However, these details are built together, or rather on top of each other, nauseating the viewer. And I mean that as a positive towards the aesthetic. The style, much like its big screen patriarch, City of God, is set to achieve a very tangible sensation, although it maybe quite unpleasant, yet it is striving for something honest.
To comment on the issue of the quality of reality displayed in "City of Men", I feel that the series presents an honest portrayal of young kids and the favela they live in. They are both good kids and facing challenges that most teenagers/young adults must deal coupled with the fact that they live in the slums among some people who have to take dangerous routes to survive from day-to-day. It's true that there is violence in the favelas however the show is mature enough to keep its two young protagonist at human level and not just one-side, shallow caricatures of unruly youth.
So I was watching "The History of Sex" on the history channel, when I started thinking about Drew's class, and the cycle of Violence within the favelas of Rio.
Looking at the research, and my colleague's responses, I find myself reminded pretty heavily of the medieval feudal system. The Favela, given its impressive economical gap, is following what seems to be the natural course of human conflict management. To supply for themselves, the motivated few rally the dependent masses beneath them to gather the most beneficial, short-term commodities as quickly as possible. As soon as another motivated person pops up, the clash is inevitable. But, instead of trebuchets, we're talking AK-47's.
-strittmatter
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