City of God and Elite Squad: From Fatalistic Violence to Agency

Abstract

Brazilian favelas (slums)have become cityscapes of exclusion, with their precarious housing on unpaved pathways, overcrowded places stigmatized as shelter for the urban poor and for criminals. This paper analyzes how Brazilian favelas are depicted in two internationally known films: City of God (2002) and Elite Squad (2007). The works highlight a tension between fatalistic violence and agency which perpetuates stigma but have also become manifestos for social change.