The new hit Brazilian television series "City of Men" that premieres in this country on Sundance Channel is a tough customer for viewers. It's tough-minded for one thing, the story of several boys who live in a dangerous Rio De Janeiro slum. It will also be tough going for some, the action happening so fast that watching the visual and catching the subtitles simultaneously is a challenge. But that might just be the thing for a world as fast-paced as the one in which we live.

The comedy/drama is created by the team that brought us "City of God," the Academy Award-nominated feature directed by Fernando Meirelles ("The Constant Gardener") and Katia Lund. The series' stars, Darlan Cunha and Douglas Silva (also featured in "City of God"), are likable kids whose adventures are as dangerous as they are life-affirming.

The camerawork is mesmerizing in the series, as is the theme it embraces: living a life (scraping by would be more appropriate) in an environment that does little to encourage survival. The dramatic aspects of the story lines are obvious enough. These kids get into one scrape after another and manage to survive them all. But it's not without great risk. The humorous moments are all the more precious because life is so tough in this engrossing series.