City of God = Aesthetics

Question 1

What is aesthetic?

Answer 1

• The visual appearance, style or look of the film

Question 2

What is City of God’s aesthetic?

Answer 2

• Saturated in colour
• Gritty realism
• Raw and violent
• Anarchic

Question 3

How does Cinema Novo impact the aesthetic?

Answer 3

• Realism of performance
• Natural, untrained and non-professional actors
• Realism of mise en scene
• Shooting on location
• Handheld camerawork
• Social and political theme

Question 4

Colour =

Answer 4

• The 60’s is coated in a golden yellow which highlights the naivety
• The favela then turns to blue harsh colours which represents the coldness and how it has been desensitised

Question 5

Location =

Answer 5

• The narrow streets represent poverty and how the characters become trapped within the walls and barriers

Question 6

How does it present the favela?

Answer 6

• The aesthetic highlights the violence in the favelas and how it helps to convey the message through the characters being victims to the environment they grew up in

Question 7

Set Design =

Answer 7

• Shooting on location which provides authenticity
• Highlights how the favela has changed from times as seen in the sixties and apartments
• The cramped and dirty space is constantly present throughout the film