The film revolves around a middle school music teacher trying to get back to his body after falling down a manhole where he ventures into a world where he meets a young soul that isn’t eager to go to Earth where he shows this young soul what it means to live. It’s a film with a unique premise as it plays into this man who is given the chance of a lifetime to play for a prestigious jazz band in New York City as it’s something he always dreamed of yet the excitement of passing the audition has him falling down this manhole. The film’s screenplay by Pete Docter, Kemp Powers, and Mike Jones do play into this long-held desire that Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) has in wanting to be a jazz pianist ever since he was a teenager but chooses to be a middle school teacher in order to pay the bills as he is reluctant to go full-time. A former student who is playing drums for the respected and revered jazz musician Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett) would get Gardner to audition for her as he passes and then falls into a manhole.
That’s only the first few minutes of the film as the script plays more into the exploration of what it means to live as well as what defines a soul where Joe is supposed to go into the Great Beyond where those who have passed are meant to go but Joe refuses as he finds himself in the Great Before. The Great Before is a place where unborn souls are there to find personalities and everything else that would define them before they enter Earth as Joe is mistaken for an instructor who is given the task to mentor an unwilling soul named 22 (Tina Fey). 22 is a character who had been given many mentors including Abraham Lincoln, Muhammad Ali, Mother Teresa, and many others but none have been able to get through to her about what it means to live as Joe shows her some of the simple ideas including music as they’re aided by a strange mystic known as Moonwind (Graham Norton) to help her out as well as take her to the place of lost souls whom he rescues.
The direction of Pete Docter, with additional contributions by Kemp Powers who is credited as a co-director, does create these massive set pieces in a world that is based on reality that is New York City but also this strange reality that is the Great Beyond, the Great Before, and other worlds where lost souls are recovered. With the help of animation directors Jaime Landes Roe, Gini Cruz Santos, and Royce Wesley, the world that Joe encounters are presented in different styles as the look of New York City as well as some of the places Joe go to each have their own sense of style that has an air of realism but also some beauty thanks to the contributions of the film’s cinematographers Matt Aspbury and Ian Megibben who help create unique lighting schemes in the way rooms are lit in the day and night with production designer Steve Pilcher, along with art directors Paul Abadilla and Tim Evatt, and visual effects supervisor Michael Fong in the creation of the Great Before with its vibrant colors and the world of lost souls that is dark and colorless. The scenes in the Great Before feature characters in these counselors who are called Jerry as they’re presented in this traditional hand-drawn animation style that is unique but also has these offbeat personalities that adds to some of the surreal elements that Joe and 22 encounter.
Docter and Powers also create the subplot as it relates to an accountant named Terry (Rachel House) who always count on those who die and are set to the Great Beyond as she notices that the count is off as it relates to Joe not going to the Great Beyond. The film’s second act is about Joe showing 22 the ideas of living where 22 would experience things that add to the joys of life through simple pleasures and encounters. Docter and Powers provide these moments that definitely echo some of ideas of pure cinema as well as surrealism in its third act as it relates to 22’s journey in trying to find her spark that would allow her to go to Earth and live. Yet, it forces Joe to have some revelations about his own life and his own pursuits of being a jazz musician as he has to help 22 to not only find her own purpose in life but also in just living for the moment and enjoy it. Overall, Docter and Powers create a rich and rapturous film about a music school teacher trying to show a young soul the pleasures and meaning of life.
Editor Kevin Nolting does brilliant work with the editing as it play into some of the humor as well as some of the drama as there is a rhythm to the cutting in its presentation of the music but also in some of the surreal elements of the film. Sound editor Coya Elliott and sound designer Ren Klyce do amazing work in the sound in some of the sound effects that are created as well as the natural sounds of certain locations and how certain objects sound in the things 22 encounters. The film’s jazz music soundtrack by Jon Batiste is incredible in the way it plays into Joe’s life and sense of improvisation in how life works while the electronic music score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for scenes in the Great Beyond and the Great Before is probably the major highlight of the film with its mixture of ambient, throbbing electronics, and discordant industrial textures that adds to the mystical and suspenseful elements of those worlds while its music soundtrack also include pieces from Daveed Diggs, Cody ChestnuTT, Bob Dylan, a cover of the Impressions’ It’s All Right performed by Batiste, and jazz pieces from Walter Norris, Duke Pearson, Duke Ellington, and Dave Brubeck.
The casting by Natalie Lyon and Kevin Reher is superb as it feature voice appearances and cameos from Pixar regular John Ratzenberger as a subway passenger, Sakina Jeffrey as a doctor, Laura Mooney as a therapy cat owner, Cora Champommier as one of Joe’s students who gets lost in playing the trombone, Margo Hall and Rhodessa Jones as a couple of Joe’s mother’s co-workers, June Squibb as a soul that Joe meets who is about to enter the Great Beyond, Cody ChestnuTT as a subway performer, Daveed Diggs as a frenemy of Joe’s in Paul, Wes Studi, Fortune Feimester, and Zenobia Shroff as soul counselors named Jerry, and Donnell Rawlings as Joe’s barber Dez who has some unique views about life and what he could’ve done but is content with what he’s doing. Angela Bassett is fantastic as the revered jazz musician Dorothea Williams as a saxophonist/band leader who is hoping that Joe gives her what she wants while Questlove is excellent as Joe’s former student Curly who plays drums for Williams and gets Joe the chance to audition for her. Phylicia Rashad is brilliant as Joe’s mother Libba as a seamstress who wants Joe to accept the full-time teaching job and not go after his dream of being a musician knowing what his father had tried to do for years.
Alice Braga and Richard Ayoade are amazing as two soul counselors in the Great Before both called Jerry as Braga is more informative and witty while Ayoade is the funnier one. Rachel House is incredible as the soul counter Terry as an accountant who makes sure the count is precise on those who go to the Great Beyond as she becomes intent on finding Joe. Graham Norton is marvelous as Moonwind who works as a human being sign twirler by day yet is a soul who captures lost souls in the lost world and gets them back as Norton provides a comical and offbeat approach to his character who sails on a ship to the music of Bob Dylan. Tina Fey is phenomenal as 22 as a cynical soul who isn’t eager to go to Earth as she likes to mess with other souls though she reluctantly let Joe mentor her where she realizes that there are things she might want to experience. Finally, there’s Jamie Foxx in a sensational performance as Joe Gardner as a middle-school music teacher who dreams of being a jazz musician and play in a jazz band as he deals with being in a mystical world and to try and guide a young soul about the pleasures of life as he begins to question about aspects of his own life in this endearing voice performance.
Soul is an outstanding film from Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. Featuring a great ensemble voice cast, gorgeous visuals, engaging themes of existential and what makes life worth living, and an exhilarating music score from Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross. It’s a film that isn’t just engaging and full of wit but it’s also a film that allows its audience to understand the ideas of life and what it means to live and enjoy it without trying to be heavy-handed nor be overly-intellectual. In the end, Soul is a magnificent film from Pete Docter and Kemp Powers.
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© thevoid99 2021
Based on the novel by Paulo Lins, Cidade de Deus (City of God) is a multi-layered story about a young man living in the slums of Rio de Janeiro where he finds himself in the middle of a war between drug dealers that included childhood friends in the 1960s and 1970s. Directed by Fernando Meirelles, with additional work by Katia Lund, and screenplay by Braulio Mantovani, the film is an exploration into the world of crime seen in the eyes of a young man who aspires to become a photographer. Starring Alexandre Rodrigues, Alice Braga, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, and Seu Jorge. Cidade de Deus is a gripping yet sprawling film from Fernando Meirelles.
The film is a look into the life of crime that eventually led to a bloody drug war between dealers as it is seen in the eyes of a young man from the 1960s and 1970s. Notably as this young man called Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) sees things up-close and from afar as he tries to lead a straight life in the middle of this chaos as he watches childhood acquaintances in Lil’ Ze (Leandro Firimo) and Bene (Phellipe Haagensen) become dealers as young kids into young adults after taking over from a previous gang. Eventually, Rocket has to watch from afar as Lil’ Ze becomes a leader where he rises while battling it out with another dealer in Carrot (Matheus Natchtergaele) who later gains a dangerous ally in Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge) whom Rocket knows as he captures all of it with his camera.
Braulio Mantovani’s script is mostly reflective since it is told from the perspective of Rocket but it also shows the perspective of characters like Lil’ Ze, Bene, and Knockout Ned as well as some of their back stories. While some of the narrative does jump back-and-forth a bit to give out some exposition about the slums as well as how these characters rose to infamy. The film does start out in the 60s where many of the characters are kids as some are attracted to the world of crime as Lil’ Ze goes from a kid who aids the trio who preceded him only to take things further to an extreme. Lil’ Ze is an interesting character who is a dealer that is very ambitious and also quite cruel in a moment where he gets a young kid to kill another kid. Then there’s Bene who is this laid-back individual who is the only person that can control Lil’ Ze as he is loved by everyone as he just wants people to have a good time.
In the schematics of the script, something happens that would take the film into a new extreme where Lil’ Ze becomes far more ruthless where he would encounter a former Marine turned bus driver in Knockout Ned that leads into trouble. Especially since Knockout Ned is a man who didn’t want to be part of the war but because Lil’ Ze killed his little brother, he ends up siding with Carrot. For Rocket who finally attains a position in a newspaper by getting some pictures in the actual slums. He not only raises Lil’ Ze’s notoriety but also finds himself in danger as he finds some startling revelations into the kind of forces that are aiding these dealers. What Mantovani does with the script is unveil not just the way the drug world operates but also the fact that a guy like Rocket is living in a world that is far more troubled than he realizes where he’s one of the few people out there that stands for what is good in the world no matter how flawed he is.
Fernando Meirelles’ direction is truly stylish in the way he presents the film as he opens the film with this intricate yet mesmerizing sequence that involves a chicken face and Rocket finding himself in the middle of what is to be a gun battle that would become the film’s climax. A lot of the direction includes some hand-held camera work that is a bit shaky at times but very engaging for the way it showcases a world that is quite unforgiving. There’s a lot of robberies in a world that is very poor while violence is often very rampant but there’s also moments where things can be cool. It’s like the Wild West except in a world that is very different where there’s a beach, there’s drugs, cool music, and lots of beautiful ladies. It’s also a place where young kids can even get the chance to rise up in the world and become criminals.
With the help of Katia Lund, Meirelles creates a film that is filled with an element of style as it plays to certain periods of time where the look of the film is quite crucial where the first act in the 1960s is very sunny. Notably as it is set in a world where it looks like a desert in a town that is yet to be developed and by the time it goes into the 1970s, the look is more colorful with its mixture of trees, beaches, and all sorts of locations. Meirelles’ approach to the violence is definitely gritty and confrontational where it’s very bloody at times but also visceral in its impact. Even to the point where a child or an innocent person can get killed as Meirelles isn’t afraid to show that darkness of that world. Overall, Meirelles creates a very intense and harrowing film about a young man’s view of a dark world.
Cinematographer Cesar Charlone does great work with the film‘s very stylized cinematography from the gorgeous, sunny look of the 1960s daytime scenes to the more colorful yet gritty look of the scenes at night and in daytime scenes set in the 1970s. Editor Daniel Rezende does brilliant work with the editing by emphasizing on style with fast-paced cutting to capture the intensity of the action as well as some more methodical cuts for the low-key moments. Production designer Tule Peak does excellent work with the set pieces to play up the different time periods that occur from some of the decayed look of the slums to the eerie look of the base that the lead dealers live in.
Costume designers Bia and Ines Salgado do wonderful work with the costumes to play up the different time periods of the film as well as maintaining that sense of grit in the characters. Sound designer Martin Hernandez does amazing work with the sound to capture the air of violence in some of the film‘s darker moments as well as some of the atmosphere in the party scenes. The film’s music by Ed Cortes and Antonio Pinto is brilliant for its use of Brazilian-based music to set a dark mood while its soundtrack is a mix of samba, folk, disco, rock, and fun that is just truly one of the best soundtracks out there.
The film’s cast is just flat-out spectacular as it features some noteworthy small roles from Graziella Moretto as a journalist who hires Rocket, Charles Parventi as an arms dealer, Darlan Cunha as an addict Lil’ Ze hires, Thiago Martins and Otavio as young leaders of an adolescents-based gang known as the Runts, and Matheus Natchtergaele as the drug lord Carrot. In the roles of the first gang known as the Tenderness Trio, there’s Renato de Souza as Rocket’s older brother Goose, Jefechander Suplino as Clipper, and Jonathan Haagensen as Bene’s older brother Shaggy who is the leader of the gang who later gets into trouble. Alice Braga is wonderful as Angelica who becomes an object of affection for Rocket as she later becomes Bene’s girlfriend while Daniel Zettel is very good as Angelica’s former boyfriend Tiago who later becomes part of Lil’ Ze’s gang.
Seu Jorge is fantastic as the badass Knockout Ned who goes after Lil’ Ze over what some family deaths as he becomes an intimidating figure with a sense of compassion as he tries to fight for the people. Phellipe Haagensen is great as the laid-back Bene who is Lil’ Ze’s right-hand man who becomes the most fashionable dude in the land as he strives to get people to chill out and have fun. For the role of Lil’ Ze, there’s Douglas Silva in a brilliant performance as the young Lil’ Ze known as Lil’ Dice who is just brutal while Leandro Firmino is amazing as Lil’ Ze as this very ruthless motherfucker who is just intent on being the king of the drug world. Finally, there’s Alexandre Rodrigues and Luis Otavio in their roles as Rocket with the latter being the young adolescent who is struggling to maintain a straight path in a dark world as it’s a superb performance from Otavio. In the role of the older Rocket, Rodrigues is marvelous as this young man trying to make it through the world in a honest way as he deals with the same struggles the world of crime offers.
Cidade de Deus is a magnificent film from Fernando Meirelles. Armed with a brilliant ensemble cast, outstanding technical work, and a kick-ass soundtrack. The film is clearly among one of the great crime films to come out in the 2000s as well as a look into how a young man tries to steer away from the world of chaos while capturing it with his camera. It’s a film that is definitely unforgiving in the way violence is portrayed while taking a view into a world that is off-kilter yet thrilling. In the end, Cidade de Deus is a phenomenal film from Fernando Meirelles.
Fernando Meirelles Films: (O Menino Maluquino 2) - (Domesticas) - The Constant Gardener - (Blindness) - (360)
© thevoid99 2013
