A chicken is plucked, skinned and butchered for dinner, children and adults laugh, play, sing and dance, and no one would ever guess what Come means. As a viewer I never imagined that after this opening scene would come murders, drugs, lawlessness, rape, more murders and violence and I never imagined that it would all be based on truth. However, the truth is that Cidade de Deus (City of God) is based on the true story of Paulo Lins' life in the slum outside Rio de Janerio, Brazil. It provides an important glimpse into life in the slums where people left homeless in the city were forced to go. The film provides an important and unique story about a territory that – according to an article on the site, dialogues, proposals and stories for global citizenship – is home to "almost 50 thousand inhabitants". Although the same article claims that “the success of the film City of God portrayed the neighborhood in the media spotlight in such a way as to reinforce the stigma of a violent and dangerous community,” I would argue that this film provides a historical narrative that is worth worth watching more than once. While this film does not provide a perfect vision of the Cidade de Deus in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, it is certainly a start that most people would agree is necessary for the world to see. A New York Times review (2002) states that the film "is the latest and one of the most powerful among a recent wave of films that remind us that the civilized society we take for granted is actually a Hardy luxury." This film, while not perfect, certainly provides a necessary and appropriate history of the City of God. Cidade de Deus tells the true story of a young boy named Rock......middle of paper......eus) in Rio de Janerio, http://base.dph.info/en/fiches/dph/fiche-dph-7079.html (April 2007)SilveriaStephen Holden, “FILM REVIEW; Boys Welding Together into Army of Crime” New York Times, January 17, 2003 Tom Phillips, “Battle for Power Sparks Street War in Brazil's City of God” The Observer, February 10, 2007 http://www. guardian.co.uk/world/2007 /feb/11/brazil.tomphillipsOut of the slums of Rio, an author finds fame” Latin America News http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender /footnote.html (April 27, 2004 )Out of Rio's slums, an author finds fame” Latin American NewsStephen Holden“A Magical Time for the City of God - Proper Policing, Better Government, and a Stronger Economy are starting to make a difference in the most violent and squalid districts of Brazil's former capital” http://www.economist.com/node/16326428 (June 10 2010)