How does the
opening of City Of God set the tone, genre and themes of the film through micro
elements?
In the
exposition of the film ‘city of god’ the audience are exposed to various themes
that may foreshadow later events in the film. One of the most evident themes
that is represented from the outset is the idea of being trapped. The audience
first become aware of this theme when we see the close up shot predominantly
focuses our attention on the chicken’s leg creating suspense and making the
audience feel sympathy for the chicken. This shot is accompanied by the
non-diegetic sound in the background of a carnival atmosphere, which juxtaposes
the idea of having fun at a carnival and the freedom to dance, to the idea of
entrapment and not being able to be free. This highlights the brutality. Later
on, in the last moments of the scene, we also see the idea of being trapped.
The protagonist Rocket is in the middle of the gang and the police. This is
suggesting to the audience that he has nowhere to run. The circular motion in
the arc shot reminds us that the gang and the police are surrounding him and
there is no escape.
