The Runts

 

City Of God

  "The Runts"

Scene Analysis

This scene differs strikingly to the usual highly stylised and kinetically edited scenes that City Of god is known for; instead this scene utilises more traditional shots such as close-ups and class over-the-shoulder shots. The result of this is to highlight the grim and shocking consequences of the gang violence rather than displaying it as merely action in a movie. Inevitably, the audience is much more emotionally evolved in this scene due to being aligned with Lil' Ze's victims for a brief moment, the significance of how young these children are, the traditional use of shots which are usually avoided to create a more upbeat and almost glamorised version of the violence, and finally the performance.

 In the beginning of this scene, we are aligned with the youngest boy through a high angle shot when he reaches for the sweets as the runts hold up the shop- this establishes his youth.  This clever technique makes the shooting feel more intense and traumatic for the audience. Once again, Rocket's voice calmly narratives the first few seconds of the scene; he explains the current politics of the gangs and their territory. Rocket says "But they [the runts] didn't know that the city had a boss now"- using a fronted conjunction to present foreshadowing. Rocket goes on to explain that the city had become much safer for residents due to Lil Ze's city management. This perhaps stems from Lil Ze's perspective of himself; does he perhaps link himself to crime organisations like The Tender Trio who's aims were to better the community? 

once again Steaks youth is highlighted through performance- the non verbal communication is displayed when he runs like a kid  after Lil' Ze and his friends. A high angle shot is used just to establish where in the scene everyone is positioned. The runts discuss the politics of a career with the gangs before Lil' Ze turns up to cause disruption. All of the runts attempt to scatter as we hear the non-diegetic sound of Lil Ze's unnerving laugh. Lil Ze claims "they're quick, those kids. They run fast" which once again highlights their youth. The kids are cornered through a traditional mid-shot. This allows the guns which Lil Ze and his men hold to take centre stage. Lil' Ze gives the kids an ultimatum- to get shot in the hand or the foot? The smallest runt reaches out his "little hand", once again gaining sympathy points from the audience due to the emphasis on all his small and child-like features. His performance in this scene is very emotional and extremely convincing. To add to this, most of the scene is done through traditional close-ups which displays a more personal and emotive atmosphere. Lil' Ze's ultimatum is essentially futile as he shoots the kids' feet after they both choose their hands. After Steak turns away- evidently displaying his feelings of apprehension and distress and a simple realisation that life with the big kids isn't all it's cut out to be- they soon put him up to the task of choosing a runt to kill. The audience is immediately put in steaks shoes, debating this conundrum and their own morals. 

After the older kid's body slumps to the floor Steak turns as the last shot lingers on the back of his neck- possibly to indicate the shame he feels. Possibly to replicate how Steak is feeling: such deep regret that he doesn't want to look himself in the eyes.