City of Men

In CITY OF MEN, the filmmakers behind the 2002 Oscar-nominated film City of God portray the lives of at-risk teens living in a drug-ridden section of Rio de Janeiro. Each episode is a mix of comedy and drama as the cameras follow Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlana Cunh), teenage friends trying to lead a normal life amid the squalor and chaos of the slum they call home. They don't have much supervision: Their mothers work long hours as live-in maids, and their fathers have disappeared. In between typical pursuits like video games and girls, the pair must stay alert to the dangerous goings-on around them. Certainly, their lives aren't boring: In one episode, a new gang takes over after a drug lord is hauled away, and in another, Acerola's sister starts dating one of the neighborhood's gang leaders.