Apocalipse nos Trópicos

This is a very difficult but very necessary movie, which shows us upfront the destructive foolishness of allowing Christianity to dictate politics, and of enabling dangerous authoritarians to represent people.

Brazil has been - and still is - saddled with multitudes of delinquents with Christian discourse. There is no upside to that obscenity, and we all must strive to get rid of that disease.

The movie is a bit tedious, for sure. So much of what it shows we have painfully watched happens with our own eyes. But perhaps not enough people have the integrity to remember what has happened and how fiercely it must be stopped and corrected.

Another very good and timeless documentary by Petra. A bit slower than The Edge of Democracy, but worth watching to understand the parallel between religion and politics in Brazil. This is a parallel that can be drawn in other countries, but it's more evident today in Brazil with evangelical churches. For those who say it's biased, it also shows the Brazilian left's dilemma with religion, which is very complex and often contradictory. It could be faster, more dynamic. Less Malafaia and more about the role of these churches on both sides, despite being more evident in the Brazilian far right. I liked it, and watched this to my Polish wife, it was very interesting but could be deeper than what was showcased.

"Apocalypse in the Tropics" is a powerful and timely documentary that bravely explores the alarming rise of religious fundamentalism within the political sphere - a phenomenon with deep and troubling implications for democracies around the world, especially in countries like Brazil. With her signature sensitivity and courage, Petra Costa delivers a work that is both urgent and poetic, peeling back layers of ideology to reveal how faith, when co-opted by power, can erode institutions and threaten civil liberties. This film is not just a warning - it's a vital act of resistance. Petra once again proves why she is one of the most essential voices in contemporary documentary cinema.

As a documentary that explores deep religious-political issues, it's no wonder that there will be (and there are already) lots of negative comments about it. However, Brazil (like many other countries) has been split open in two halves of the political spectrum for quite some time now. But what we see in this film (and in Petra's previous one) is that, in Brazilian history, it was always the right wing that resourced to violence to force their ideals. When open violence was no longer an attractive tool, they turned to religion, offering easy, messianic tools to promise solutions to a struggling people often failed by democratic institutions. The poorly educated masses of Brazil are easy prey to evangelical-politician hawks who, deep within, care a lot about their pockets but nothing at all about their flock.

Brazil was never meant to be a country built for itself and its people, and we can see the results now.

The new Netflix documentary "Apocalypse in the Tropics" is a chilling, close-up look at Christian Nationalism on the rise, this time in Brazil, which is reckoning with its own version of January 6. With an eerie score, pointed narration, and unnervingly intimate footage, the doc takes you into the backrooms where power, faith, and fascism collide. What's most striking is that unlike the U. S., Brazil seems willing to hold its would-be coup plotters to account. As an American who lived through a real military coup in Thailand, I found this film deeply unsettling and terribly relevant. Watching from abroad, it's impossible not to see the parallels: attacks on democratic institutions, judicial overreach, corporate complicity, and a twisted gospel that weaponizes religion to control women, demonize LGBTQ+ people, and ignore the poor, the sick, and the stranger. This isn't just a Brazilian problem; it's a global one and it may already be too late. This doc is highly recommended and honestly, it's Code Red for democracy everywhere.