City of God poster

City of God

2002130 minutesR
6.2
Arcplot Score
📊 Solid
Unverified
⭐ 8.6IMDb
🍅 91%Rotten Tomatoes
Ⓜ 79/100Metacritic
🎬 8.4TMDb
📊 7.1Popularity
🏆Nominated for 4 Oscars. 75 wins & 50 nominations total
Genre: Crime, Drama
Directed by: Fernando Meirelles
Brazil, 1960s, City of God. The Tender Trio robs motels and gas trucks. Younger kids watch and learn well...too well. 1970s: Li'l Zé has prospered very well and owns the city. He causes violence and fear as he wipes out rival gangs without mercy. His best friend Bené is the only one to keep him on the good side of sanity. Rocket has watched these two gain power for years, and he wants no part of it. he keeps getting swept up in the madness. All he wants to do is take pictures. 1980s: Things are out of control between the last two remaining gangs...will it ever end? Welcome to the City of God.

Box Office

Budget:$3.3M
Revenue:$30.6M
Profit:$27.3M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision3.7/10
Emotional Arc Impact10/10
Thematic Consistency5/10
Overall Score6.2/10

Beat Sheet

15 plot points

City of God Arcplot
1
Opening Image
1 min
2
Theme Stated
8 min
3
Set-Up
15 min
4
Catalyst
30 min
5
Debate
45 min
6
Break Into Two
60 min
7
B Story
70 min
8
Fun and Games
85 min
9
Midpoint
95 min
10
Bad Guys Close In
110 min
11
All Is Lost
120 min
12
Dark Night of the Soul
125 min
13
Break Into Three
127 min
14
Finale
128 min
15
Final Image
130 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

#1

Opening Image

1 min

Favela of Rio de Janeiro. Young Buscapé narrates life. Violence, poverty, and survival introduced.

#2

Theme Stated

8 min

Buscapé: "The city shapes who we become." Theme: survival, crime, morality, societal impact.

#3

Set-Up

15 min

Introduction of key gang members: Li’l ZĂ© and BenĂ©. Childhood, friendships, and early criminal activity established.

#4

Catalyst

30 min

Li’l ZĂ© commits first violent act. Stakes rise. Crime and fear dominate neighborhood.

#5

Debate

45 min

Buscapé debates morality: report crime or survive? Tension between conscience and self-preservation.

#6

Break Into Two

60 min

Gangs escalate conflict. Buscapé becomes chronicler of violence. Crossing threshold into adult world of crime.

#7

B Story

70 min

Friendship between Buscapé and Bené tested. Personal stakes grow.

#8

Fun and Games

85 min

Crime cycles, petty disputes, and shootouts. Violence and survival tactics illustrated.

#9

Midpoint

95 min

Li’l ZĂ© becomes dominant gang leader. False victory; power consolidated.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

110 min

Rivalries intensify. Innocents harmed. Community fear rises.

#11

All Is Lost

120 min

Major character killed. Buscapé feels powerless. Despair dominates.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

125 min

Buscapé reflects on fate, chance, and his role as narrator. Emotional intensity.

#13

Break Into Three

127 min

Buscapé finds courage to confront truth, document events.

#14

Finale

128 min

Li’l ZĂ© is brought down. Order restored temporarily. Emotional and societal resolution.

#15

Final Image

130 min

Buscapé older, narrating past events. Survival, memory, and storytelling endure.