If “Sesame Street” had a dangerous back alley, it might very well resemble the rough and tumble roads inhabited by the big-hearted children in the “City of Men.” Spun off of the hit 2003 Brazilian film City of God, this unnerving look at growing up in the slums of Rio de Janeiro captivated South American TV audiences throughout its four-season/19-episode run. The Sundance Channel is currently airing season two, but the whole ball of whacks is now available on this three-DVD set.

The show revolves around two boys, Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha), who work, play and avoid getting shot in the steep-hilled Rio settlements known as the “favelas.” Best friends who go down different paths, they ache with the absence of father figures yet find comfort in overcoming the absurd hardships of poverty, which range from lousy mail service to thievery to vengeful drug lords. That the pet dogs of this neighborhood have names like Purgatory and Osama, could foretell a somber 570 minutes of viewing, but humor, songs and jaunty directing overcome hunger, murder and teen pregnancy nearly every time. Shot on location—sometimes as a mock documentary and other times as a music video—it is a truly jarring mix of PBS-style lessons for kids and HBO-like scenes of gunshots to the head.

Because we follow the boys from age 13 to 17, many of the episodes are heady with newfound testosterone. Sweaty nighttime dances and packs of flirtatious girls are ever-present. The latest sneakers are prized possessions worth risking it all. Hip-hop is the music of choice, and the driving rhythms bring out a kind of joy in the teens rarely seen on American television.

The lines between character and actor blur as we watch Acerola and Laranjinha literally grow from boys to men. There’s a palpable sadness to the suddenly enhanced musculature of the actors. It translates as the physical proof of the end of their characters’ childhood. Their once small shoulders grow to accommodate the burdens they inherit. The series finale breaks the illusion completely and follows actors Silva and Cunha in a fantasy as they try to move on to new projects and ponder their future.

The episodes are performed in Portuguese with English subtitles provided. It’s not exactly a slow and lumbering language, especially from the mouths of rowdy children, so speedy eyes are a plus.