The silent protagonist brings an Apocalypto/The Revenant style narrative that is accented with elements of Passion of The Christ. There is even a scene where Jesús is tied to a post and whipped, and it is choreographed in a heartbreaking and powerfully biblical manner. The fact that the main character’s name is Jesús may seem on the nose, but again, it brings more depth to his silence, depicting his suffering as a shared suffering with Christ, and echoes Jim Caviezel’s memorable line from Sound Of Freedom, “God’s children are not for sale.”
City of Dreams is shot beautifully and is effective in putting the viewer in the place of the protagonist. When Jesús is brought to the sweatshop, it is visually represented as a labyrinth, making it difficult to know where we are and just how big of a compound he is being kept in, creating a claustrophobic tension of seeing no way out. As the film unfolds, we see that this house is in the center of a suburban neighborhood, driving home the fact that this is all happening in front of our eyes, leaving viewers with the same feelings that Sound of Freedom left you with—do something.
“…the performances here create a more physical and internalized story…”
If comparing the two films, Sound of Freedom has a more engaging narrative, but the performances here create a more physical and internalized story driven by pure emotion and action. Sound of Freedom forced the viewer to use their imagination as to the brutality of the human trafficking business. City of Dreams forces you to see it.
It’s not gratuitous and doesn’t show you explicit sexual violence, but it is an R-rated film that effectively brings you to the line of the reality of what is going on in our country and across the world. A necessary choice by the director to turn up the flame in viewers’ hearts. The film is a masterclass in character development without said character having to mutter a single line of dialogue.
I would have liked to have gotten to know the Jason Patric character a bit more and the character arc of his seemingly ditsy, by-the-book partner felt abrupt and unearned, but again it is not their movie. City of Dreams is not perfect, but it is extremely well crafted, and as such, I highly recommend it.
"…a masterclass in character development..."
