Cidade Dos Homens
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''Cidade dos Homens'' (English title: ''City of Men'') is a Brazilian
television show A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
created by
Kátia Lund Kátia Lund (born March 13, 1966) is a Brazilian film director and screenwriter. Her most notable work was as co-director of the film '' City of God''. Early life Lund was born in São Paulo, to American parents who emigrated to Brazil before she ...
and
Fernando Meirelles Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (; born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing the film ''City of God (2002 film), City of God'', released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the Un ...
, the directors of the film '' City of God''. The series was watched by 35 million viewers in Brazil and was released internationally on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
shortly after the film. In 2007, a feature-length film based on the series (produced by Fox and TV Globo) was released. It is often cited as a "
spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
" of the film ''City of God''. ''City of Men'' is a less violent and more light-hearted affair with
dramedy Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
elements (the film adaptation is darker, sharing its roots of ''City of God''). However, the two do share some common aspects: the directors, some of the actors, and the setting of the Brazilian
favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of impoverished neighborhoods in Brazil. The term, which means slum or ghetto, was first used in the Slum of Providência in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was b ...
with its background of gangsters and
poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
. The show tells the stories of Luis Cláudio and Uólace, better known by their nicknames Acerola (
Douglas Silva Douglas Silva (born 27 September 1988)City of Men - The Movie: Cast
or simply DG is a Bra ...
) and Laranjinha ( Darlan Cunha), respectively, who are two best friends who live in a notorious
Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...
slum, in a community of
drug dealers The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types ...
, hustlers, and teenagers struggling to fulfill their dreams.


Production

A co-production of Meirelles (through his studio, O2 Filmes) and Globo TV, the largest TV channel in Brazil, the show aired Fridays, at 11 p.m. (local Brazilian time: -3
UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
) for four seasons. Each season aired roughly one year after the previous one, and the characters, as it happens with the actors who portray them, are shown to age from one season to the next. As a result, the stories of each season reflect the struggles of poor kids from Rio de Janeiro in the appropriate age group: in Season 1, the characters are about 13 years old, that is, barely out of childhood and into adolescence; Season 4 (the final season) shows them age 17, on the verge of adulthood, and the evolution of their dilemmas. A movie with Laranjinha and Acerola turning 18 has now been released in Brazil and in the United States. Silva and Cunha starred in the 2000
short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
''Palace II'', directed by Meirelles, a dry run for the film '' City of God''. In the short, Silva played Larinjinha and Cunha played Acerola.


Episodes


Original Series

''The dates listed below are the original air dates on Globo TV and original DVD releases in Brazil (except for the international DVD release).''


Season 1

Produced in 2002 (aired between October 4 and October 18), released on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
on February 12, 2003 # A Coroa do Imperador (The Emperor's Crown) #* When their history teacher announces a surprise plan to take the class on an educational field trip to see The Emperor's Crown and learn more about the Napoleonic Wars, Laranjinha and Acerola greet the news with ambivalence as they need to come up with the R$6.50 it will cost each of them to go. A war breaks out in the favela and Acerola comes to realize its similarity to the
Napoleonic wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
. # O Cunhado do Cara (The Man's Brother-in-Law) #* When Acerola's sister starts dating the "Favela boss" (a drug dealer) everybody suddenly starts to respect him. He has never had this much status in the neighborhood before—and he has never had this much temptation to abuse it. Acerola goes too far with his newfound powers and strains his friendship with Laranjinha. # Correio (The Post) #* Laranjinha and Acerola become the favela's postmen. Acerola's favela is so dangerous that even the government will not deliver mail there, a serious problem that irks the residents and prompts a local drug lord to make Acerola the ad hoc postmaster. Acerola and Laranjinha try to make some improvements to the system and initiate a scheme to name the streets of the favela. # Uólace e João Vitor (Uólace and João Vitor) #* A day in the life of Uólace (Laranjinha) and João Victor. On any given day, 13-year-old Laranjinha is struggling to survive in his dangerous favela, where violence runs rampant and hunger is a way of life. Meanwhile, in a well-appointed apartment overlooking Laranjinha's neighborhood, 13-year-old João Vitor (Thiago Martins) has a radically different perspective. João Vitor is a middle-class boy raised by his
single mother A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include death, divorce, break-up, abandonment, bec ...
. The apparent differences between the two lives are subsumed by their similarities.


Season 2

Produced in 2003 (aired between October 14 and November 11), released on DVD on February 27, 2004 # Sábado (Saturday) #* Like most teenagers living in favelas, Larajinha and Acerola cannot wait for the
funk carioca Funk carioca (), also known as baile funk and Brazilian funk, or even simply funk, is a Brazilian hip hop music, hip hop-influenced music genre from Rio de Janeiro, taking influences from musical styles such as Miami bass and Freestyle music, f ...
dance. Armed with a new hairstyle, Laranjinha looks forward to an all-night dance party, where he aims to make out with at least four pretty girls. Meanwhile, Acerola hopes his performance with a funk dance group will impress a classmate (Camila Monteiro). # Dois Pra Brasília (Two Tickets to
Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...
) #* Determined to help a girl he likes get her grandfather out of prison (he has been in prison for two and half years longer than his sentence), Acerola enlists Laranjinha and a borrowed camcorder from the neighborhood to film his journey from Rio to the capital city of Brasília, all so he can deliver a letter to President
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
. # Tem Que Ser Agora (It Has To Be Now) #* The beach, the great leveller of Brazilian society, where all the social classes meet. Laranjinha and Acerola are on a mission to deliver some surfboards, head to the coast and find that everyone else in Rio had the same idea. The holiday takes an unexpected turn when the boys catch wind of a rumor that, if true, could have serious implications. Laranjinha flirts with Camila and finds out she is an upper middle-class girl. Duda tries to avoid João when she finds he is from the favela. Suddenly, a group of middle-class 'playboys' starts a confrontation. In the middle of all this confusion the teenagers only think about one thing: losing their
virginity Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereo ...
. # Os Ordinários (The Ordinaries) #* While surfing, Acerola saves a wealthy Japanese-Brazilian boy from drowning at the beach, his actions spark an unexpected friendship that crosses color and socioeconomic boundaries. They bond and Acerola, Laranjinha and João start hanging out with the boy and his brother, who are from
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
. The result is a group they dub The Ordinaries. # Buraco Quente (Hot Spot) #* Laranjinha's Cousin Espeto (Phelipe Haagensen) manages drug dealing in his area. When Espeto has a near-death experience, it prompts him to reevaluate his life, and his career as a criminal. Espeto wants out, but leaving the business can be tough, so Laranjinha and Acerola help out.


Season 3

Produced in 2004 (aired between September 24 and October 22), released on DVD on March 30, 2005 # A Estréia (Opening Night - First Time) #* When Acerola's mother goes out of town for the weekend and leaves him without a chaperone, the boys vow to practice their romantic skills with some local girls. # Foi Sem Querer (It Was an Accident) #* When Laranjinha romances a pretty girl who already has a boyfriend, he has to enlist Acerola for protection. Meanwhile, the boys try their hand at a small business to raise money for the favela's community center. # Vacilo É Um Só (Can't Screw Up Twice - Take It Like a Man) #* Learning about the breeding habits of tiny ants in school prompts Laranjinha, Acerola and their classmates to think about their own sexuality. Meanwhile, Acerola strives to stay out of trouble by spending the day with the leader of the favela's community association. # Hip Sampa Hop #* When Laranjinha's cousin, Espeto, announces that he is taking a trip to
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
, Laranjinha and Acerola decide to tag along. Once there, they discover the city's vibrant hip-hop scene and become immersed in the culture—and the drama that goes along with it. # Pais e Filhos (Fathers and Sons - Parents and Kids) #* When Laranjinha and Acerola apply for social security at work, it prompts thoughts about their futures and jump-starts Laranjinha's quest for his own "lost" father.


Season 4 (final season)

Produced in 2005 (aired between November 18 and December 16), released on DVD on April 25, 2006 # A Fila (The Line) # Tá Sobrando Mês (Too Many Days in a Month) # Atração Fatal (Fatal Attraction) # As Aparências Enganam (Appearances Can Be Deceiving) # Em Algum Lugar do Futuro (Somewhere in the Future)N N Finale special: animated episode projecting the future of the main characters.


Sequel Series

In 2017 (10 years after the movie) a new series was aired, continuing the story about Laranjinha and Acerola, now fathers of their own sons: Davi (Luan Pessoa) and Clayton (Carlos Eduardo Jay), respectively. The boys have the same relationship as their fathers had when youngsters.


Season 5 (2017)

The first season follows the discovery of a fatal heart disease in Davi. The situation develops when Clayton steals money from a drug lord. Laranjinha wants to use the money to pay for his son's surgery, as Acelora fears retaliation from the drug dealers.


Season 6 (2018)

Laranjinha faces the return of his ex-wife and mother of Davi. Poderosa (Roberta Rodrigues), who left the boy when he was still a baby, and now intends to do everything to see him again, despite the father's disagreement. The second season sees the return of João Vitor, now Davi and Clayton's teacher.


International DVD release

Internationally, a DVD was released including the episodes from both seasons 1 and 2. The DVD was released on 27 September 2004. # The Emperor's Crown # The Man's Brother-in-Law # The Post # Uólace And João Vitor # Saturday/Sunday # The Two On Their Way To Brasília # It Has To Be Now # The Ordinaries # Hot Spot


Entire Series - US DVD

* Actors: Leandro Firmino, Alexandre Rodrigues, Daniel Zettel, See more * Directors: Philippe Barcinski, César Charlone * Format: Box set, Color, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC * Language: Portuguese * Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.) * Number of discs: 3 * Rating NR * Studio: Palm Pictures / Unvd * DVD Release Date: September 26, 2006 * Run Time: 570 minutes * DVD Features: ** Available Subtitles: English ** Available Audio Tracks: Portuguese (Unknown Format) ** 19 episodes on three discs


Soundtrack

* "Homem Amarelo" -
O Rappa O Rappa was a Brazilian reggae rock band from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that combined many styles such as rock, reggae, funk, hip hop and samba. Most of their songs contain sharp protests against the social problems in Brazil and the members of t ...
* "Qual é?" -
Marcelo D2 Marcelo Maldonado Peixoto (born November 5, 1967), also known as Marcelo D2, is a Brazilian rapper, singer and songwriter, co-founder of Planet Hemp. Biography A former vocalist of the band Planet Hemp, he started his solo career in 1998 ...
* "A Fumaça Já Subiu pra Cuca" -
Bezerra da Silva José Bezerra da Silva (February 23, 1927 – January 17, 2005) was a Brazilian samba musician of the partido alto style. Biography Bezerra da Silva was born on February 23, 1927 in Recife. He played zabumba as a child and sang coco in Recife. ...
* "Morro e Asfalto" - Darlan Cunha / Thiago Martins * "Vem Cristiane" - MC Tam * "Us Mano e As Mina" - Xis * "Sonho Juvenil (Garoto Zona Sul)" -
Jovelina Pérola Negra Jovelina Pérola Negra (July 21, 1944 – November 2, 1998), stage name of Jovelina Farias Belfort, was a Brazilian samba singer and songwriter. Known by her deep voice, she was a representative of the partido alto samba style, and considered an ...
* "João Teimoso" - MC Pé de Pano * "Prioridades" - Bnegão * "Quando Eu Contar (Iaiá)" -
Zeca Pagodinho Jessé Gomes da Silva Filho, known professionally as Zeca Pagodinho (, born February 4, 1959), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter working in the genres of samba and pagode. Biography Born in the neighborhood of Irajá, Rio de Janeiro, Zeca Pagodin ...
* "Dama Tereza" -
Sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, government, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, demoralization (warfare), demoralization, destabilization, divide and rule, division, social disruption, disrupti ...
* "Sou Feia Mas Tô na Moda" -
Tati Quebra Barraco Tati Quebra-Barraco (birth name: Tatiana dos Santos Lourenço, born 1980 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian funk mc, whose music consists mostly of funk carioca genre. She is a popularizer of Baile funk in Brazil and, having been born in Rio de Ja ...
* "Menina Crioula" -
Jorge Ben Jor Jorge Duílio Lima Menezes (born March 22, 1939) is a Brazilian popular musician, performing under the stage name Jorge Ben Jor since the 1980s, though commonly known by his former stage name Jorge Ben (). Performing in a samba style that also ...
* "Lixo do Mangue" -
Chico Science Chico () means ''small'', ''boy'' or ''child'' in the Spanish language. It is also the nickname for Francisco in the Portuguese language (). Chico may refer to: Places *Chico, California, a city * Chico, Montana, an unincorporated community * Ch ...
e
Nação Zumbi Nação Zumbi (formerly Chico Science & Nação Zumbi) is a Brazilian band formed by Chico Science. They have been hailed as one of the most important groups to come out of the manguebeat movement in the 1990s. The musicians of the group continu ...


Reception

''Cidade dos Homens'' received highly positive reviews from the American press upon release. On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the first season of the show has a score of 87 out of 100 based on 7 professional reviews, indicating " iversal acclaim". Tim Goodman, writing for ''San Francisco Chronicle'', praised it for having "the kind of energy you don't get often on American television, and the realness of the shot-on-location scene really makes each episode feel like a minimovie." Whilst noting its stylistic similarities to ''City of God'', Goodman wrote that "the series lacks the relentless violence of the film," even though "it's not without the same ominous sense of death." According to Charles McGrath of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', " e closest American popular television has ever come to this kind of close-up realism is probably the drug-dealing scenes in "
The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...
" on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
, and even they seem a little tame and stagey compared with what takes place in Dona Marta." ""City of Men" is more than just a fictionalized documentary, though;" he continues, "it has real humor and sweetness, much of it derived from the interaction of Acerelo and Laranjinha, who are an inspired buddy pair." ''Slate'''s Troy Patterson wrote that it "smoothly toggles between working as a crime melodrama and a coming-of-age tale, as a harrowing piece of social commentary and a gentle bit of
farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...
. It eludes genre categorization, but if one of the nihilistic children it depicts were to put his gun to my head, I’d say it was a
situation comedy A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
—one in which the situation is that life is both cheap and beautiful."
Heather Havrilesky Heather Havrilesky (born June 1970)Julia Llewellyn Smith, ''She's written a tell-all memoir about hating her husband...'', Times, London, 28 February 2022, ''Times2'', pp. 4-5. is an American author, essayist, and humorist. She writes the advice c ...
of
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...
called it " like anything else you've ever seen on TV." ''
The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...
'' Robert Lloyd took issue with the show's "occasional paroxysms of style or hammered-home points" in an otherwise positive review where he praised the show for its "immense vitality and persuasive naturalism".


References


External links


Official website

Official website
* {{IMDb title, id=0364801, title=City of Men TV Globo original programming Brazilian drama television series 2002 Brazilian television series debuts 2005 Brazilian television series endings Brazilian crime television series Television shows set in Rio de Janeiro (city) Portuguese-language television shows Works about organized crime in Brazil Works set in slums