New York Post by V.A. Musetto

The tragic victims in "City of God" are played by actors while those in La Sierra are flesh-and-blood real.

Salon by Andrew O'Hehir

The story of how La Sierra moves from a seemingly pointless war to an unexpected peace is a thrilling one, although the impact of seeing what becomes of these three kids is devastating.

The New York Times

Posing proudly with their rifles or musing matter-of-factly about their own deaths, the boys are tragic enough. But it's the girls who break your heart, stoic and wise beyond their years.

Village Voice by Joshua Land

A stark, relentlessly deglamorized vision of ghetto life, La Sierra is essential viewing for anyone who ponied up for the aestheticized amorality of the Brazilian "City of God."

Chicago Reader by Hank Sartin

The intense focus on this trio makes for good portraiture, but it left me hungry for more about the social context that shaped them.

The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis

Posing proudly with their rifles or musing matter-of-factly about their own deaths, the boys are tragic enough. But it's the girls who break your heart, stoic and wise beyond their years.

Variety by Robert Koehler

Result is a loose personal piece of reportage that places people over ideas and larger issues, and reveals the pic's severe limitations long before a surprisingly upbeat ending.