Editor’s note: Because of its recent Oscar nominations, “City of God” has been re-released into theaters by Miramax films. “City of God” can be seen at AMC Theaters Cantera 30, 28250 Diehl Road, Warrenville. For show times, visit www.amctheaters.com.

A stone statue of Christ opens its arms over tourists in Rio De Janeiro. But such a savior is nowhere to be found in the favalas of the City of God, the slums in which children are raised in the famous city in Brazil.

-The label “City of God” could not be more ironic. One would think that in God’s city, children would not fear being shot and killed. Children would not snort cocaine, and children would not be forced to murder other children.

But this is what happens in this city, and it is the story of the Oscar-nominated film “City of God.” And how opportune a time for directors Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund to shed light on an area of the world where terror truly reigns on a daily basis.

The film tells the story of Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), a boy born and raised in the City of God. He dreams of having a real career and, perhaps more importantly, losing his virginity just as any other young man does.

But Rocket isn’t from the Chicago suburbs. Rocket lives in a city where drug warlords control the two separate sides of town. The police are paid off, and in some cases, actually provide weapons to the warlords.

The most dangerous warlord in town, Li’l Ze, is feared by nearly every resident of the city. If a resident should bump into the constantly grinning Ze, he’s likely to have his life threatened or most likely taken.

“City of God” has been nominated for four Academy Awards with good reason. It is one of the most engaging, gripping and important films that you are ever likely to see in a movie theater.

What directors Meirelles and Lund do, as no other directors in this category have done, is recreate a time and place with perfect accuracy. During the end credits, we see real news clips that were recreated in the film. It’s as if Meirelles and Lund want us to see the intimate care they went through to provide an accurate recreation. There aren’t enough words to describe how impeccable these recreations are; they are like none I ever have seen.

Lund has been snubbed by the academy, and Meirelles is the only filmmaker nominated for best director of the film. This is because Meirelles was in charge of the filmmaking process, while Lund was there to care for the actors and make sure that their mannerisms accurately matched the individuals they were portraying.

While technically Meirelles is the real “director” of this film, watch the touch that Lund provides. For example, we see Li’l Ze as a child, his oversized teeth and mouth laughing away as he executes innocent people during a motel heist. Later, we see Ze as a grown man, the same oversized mouth yawing away as he laughs about a rape he had just committed.

Never once do we feel like two different actors are playing Ze. Lund’s work has provided a seamless progression. We feel like we traveled back in time to see the way this character was raised. It would take a lot more than a golden statue to sum up the work Lund contributed to “City of God.”

“City of God” is the Brazilian “Goodfellas” and will entice the same young audience as the Martin Scorsese gangster epic. It is accomplished through blindingly fast camera work, lighting quick cuts and “24”-esque split-screen work, all of which add to the chaotic nature of “City of God.”

Meirelles and Lund set out to make this film in hopes that it would draw attention to the suffering that people in this region are going through. By grabbing a young audience, Meirelles and Lund educate a new generation to a troubled area they otherwise would never even have heard of.

Make no mistake, it’ll be a cold day in hell before George W. Bush or John Kerry spend billions to create a real democracy in such a ravaged city. But I walked out of the theater really wanting to know what I could do to help these people — and if you venture out to see this film, you might, too.