City of Men is a 2007 Brazilian drama film directed by Paulo Morelli. It is a spin-off of the popular Brazilian television series of the same name and features the same cast of characters.
The film follows best friends Acerola and Laranjinha as they approach their eighteenth birthdays. They live in a favela (slum) in Rio de Janeiro and are caught up in a violent turf war between rival drug gangs. Despite this, Acerola and Laranjinha try to live normal lives and dream of a better future.
As they prepare to celebrate their birthdays, however, they discover secrets about their missing fathers that threaten to destroy their friendship. Acerola learns that his father was a drug dealer who abandoned him as a child, while Laranjinha discovers that his father was a gang leader who was killed in a shootout.
The revelations cause tension between the two friends, and they begin to drift apart. Meanwhile, the drug war in the favela intensifies, and Acerola and Laranjinha find themselves caught in the middle of the violence.
City of Men portrays the harsh reality of life in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and the challenges faced by young people growing up in poverty. The film tackles difficult themes such as violence, drugs, fatherhood, and friendship, and is a poignant exploration of the human experience.