"City of God" a film to make you cringe

If you have a strong stomach and wish to see a film that makes "Gangs of New York" seem like "Meet Me in St. Louis" and "Los Olivados" and "Pixote" seem like "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" then Brazil's submission for the Academy Award, "City of God", is the film for you. It is the story of the unguided and amoral youth of a Rio slum, who actually have almost total control of the area and whose primary goal is power. I guess in many respects one could liken it to "Lord of the Flies". The coldness of the way they kill, and the joy they get from their actions is chilling. Some of the cinematic techniques left something to me desired, but that is just one man's opinion.