In 1983, a symbolic ceremony was conducted on the Municipal Theatre in São Paulo to put the National Security Law on trial and its arbitrarities while
conducting arrest and deaths during the military regime period. The ceremony was known as "Tribunal Tiradentes" ("Tiradentes Court") was based on a similar
experiment conducted by Bertrand Russell in the late 1960's to condemn war crimes committed by the U. S. during the Vietnam War. It doesn't have a legal
validation, it merely serves to open the discussion on critical political topics and to raise social/political awareness on people and politicians as well.
"In the Name of National Security" covers the Tiradentes Court presentation, conducted by senator Teotônio Vilela and counting as witnesses influent members
of society who were targeted as national security threats (such as syndical leader, later turned Brazil's president Lula), and also gives us some information
about the arrests, disapperances and/or deaths that happened to anyone that fell under such law (the film intersects archive images with small re-enactments
with actors as actors Antônio Fagundes and Adilson Barros provide the narration).
It's a fine document coming from the opening period, as democracy was slowly on the rise during the dying days of the military regime, and anyone
interested on the topic or wanting to learn about the arbitrary law, this is a must-see. Obviously that all nations in the world have an effective law
under that same title but the difference varies on what can be considered as crime against the nation and the execution of such (treason, terrorism,
attacks on institutions). But the one used during those 21 years was a severe arbitrary case without a valid criteria and it was a real mayhem as it
allowed prisons on workers strikes (that's what got Lula in jail for a brief period), and even reinstated the death penalty (but neither those who were
killed were actually sentenced by a court based on the law. They fell on the hands on whoever was in charge for the security departments such as DOI-CODI
or DOPS).
By the time the documentary was released (during the transition back to democracy) it served a great purpose in the discussions made
during the years while a new Constitution wasn't approved and a much needed change in what qualified as real threats to national security in order to
erase mistakes from the past and conduct a more orderly ruling. It changed after 1988 and many times over the decades, but the discussion remains as
political criticism/opposition almost fell on such category as the polarization on political sides were taken over by extremities and threats of violence
on people and institutions. Yet, the law has a clear function and application now than what it had in the 1960's.
This take was just a bookends on the law. Renato Tapajós greatly captures the spirit of its time and the whole zeitgeist formed by the 1980's
generation and their wish to see better days. It's not much a truly involving experience but it certainly has its value as an historical piece to better
understand the dark turbulent days of the military regime. 7/10.
