Abstract This article analyzes the representation of urban space in contemporary Brazilian cinema, focusing on how violence functions as both an aesthetic and ideological discourse. Through readings of Cidade de Deus, Amarelo Manga, and Estorvo, it argues that some early 21st-century films depict the city as a besieged territory where violence becomes naturalized. Elements such as mise-en-scène, cinematography, and voice-over are understood as discursive operations that shape the viewer’s experience. The article highlights a documentary impulse in these works that links visibility to truth and reinforces biopolitical forms of control. By focusing on filmic textuality, it emphasizes how urban violence is constructed not only as content but also through cinematic form. Estorvo-in particular-stands out for challenging narrative coherence and offering a critique that destabilizes readability.
Sousa et al. (Wed,) studied this question.