The document discusses themes of hope, hopelessness, loyalty, family, love, poverty, conflict, and violence as depicted in the film City of God. It notes that while the favela provides little hope, the film shows there is always hope. Loyalty is positive when directed towards the right people but can drag one down. Family drives some characters' actions. Love is never portrayed as having a good outcome. Poverty and conflict invade every aspect of the characters' lives and seem inescapable for most. Violence in the form of shootings, beatings, and rape drives the film's action, but the filmmaker's goal was to promote social change. The film suggests one can escape by avoiding violence

1. The filmshow us there is always hope, evenif it feels like it is lost.
In tandem withthe idea of hope is the notionof hopelessness, whichcould
be seentobe embodiedby the favela itself. It’s aplace that provides little
hope toits citizens, aside fromdegenerating intoalife of crime.
Betweensome characters inthe City Of Godthere is a strong sense of loyalty.
Benny and Lil’ Zee are probably the characters withthe most loyalty toeach
other.
Loyalty is a positive thing, but only whenyou are loyal tothe right people
and ideals, otherwise youwill be draggeddown by it.
To some characters ‘family’ is a diving force for their actions.
Love throughout the film is never shownas having a good outcome
The conditions of the poor are presentedas unable tobe alteredexcept by
an individual getting out of the slums and leaving everyone elsethere. But
for most this is not possible
Poverty is shownin a negative way throughthe narrative and technical
features of the film
Conflict invades every minute of the film and seems tobe present all the
time in the lives of the characters.
Conflict takes many forms and most conflict is seenas a negative impact on
City of God.
Violence is the main driving force of the film. Shootings, beatings andrape
form the core of the action. But the film’s attitude toviolence is ameans to
an end for the film maker’s main motivationfor making the film – the wish
for social change.
The filmdoes have simple lessons tolearn – if you live by the gun you die by
the gun, if you avoid violence andretainsome honest values and ambitions
you escape.