City of God analysis

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.