SSC Film Studies

How significant are genre and narrative to your understanding of your focus films?

Both La Haine and City of God follow the conventions of specific genres of film, however they can both be linked through recurring themes. Firstly City of God follows the conventions of the crime genre. The film is classed as world cinema as it appeals to a large audience; it does this by including recognisable character types into the narrative, such as villains and heroes. The film does not have a specific message to present to its audience, it is viewed for entertainment. It is presented as a highly stylised view of the real City of God; the narrative in particular adds to this, it is set in different chapters of time to present the inflection and development of crime and characters in the favelas. Through each chapter, lighting and setting is used to present how crime has been increased in the city, the beginning presents a peaceful view of Rio, with the sun shining and wide open spaces for children to play in, crime is only used to help locals, however as the plot develops and crime becomes more serious the space becomes more confined and the light more dull, the streets get narrower and there’s no where to hide, it connotes that you cant escape from the favelas.

The main conventions of the crime genre are violence, drugs and power. In City of God these three themes are significant in driving the plot forward. The residents of the Favelas are poverty stricken and have no opportunities in life, leading them to selling drugs to earn money, by selling drugs.