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In the Children of the Church Steps miniseries from Brazil, viewers are immersed in the lives of four made-up children named Douglas, Seven, Popcorn, and Jesus against the backdrop of the horrifying Candelária massacre. This incident, in which eight individuals, including six minors, were killed, serves as a powerful reflection of systemic neglect and societal failure in addition to being a historical reference.

The series uses a multi-perspective narrative format to fully engage the audience with each character’s struggles. This approach is emblematic of a larger trend in modern streaming TV, where character-driven storytelling is more important than plots that follow a straight line. This method encourages emotional connection, but it can also lead to uneven pacing, making it difficult for viewers to balance the weight of each story with the tragedy that is about to happen.

Children of the Church Steps also brings up important issues regarding media representation in a quest.

Children of the Church Steps is a poignant series loosely based on the real-life massacre that took place in Rio on the 23rd of July 1993, in which 6 minors and 2 adults were brutally killed by police personnel. The show uses four fictional children to set up the events 36 hours before the dreadful incident. The 4 kids are Douglas, 18-year-old Seven, Popcorn, and Jesus. Each episode retells the events from the point of view of each of the kids leading up to the point of the massacre. The 4-part series focuses on the children’s wishes and dreams rather than the massacre itself. It simply wants us to realize how an act of violence can permanently ruin the lives of many. With that said, let’s quickly jump into all the important things that take place in Children of the Church Steps. Each kid is fictitious, but the stories are inspired by those of survivors.

The Candelaria Massacre is a wound in Brazilian history that’ll probably never heal. The murder of 8 homeless people, 6 being minors, is not only shocking but truly painful to imagine. Children of the Church Steps creatively retells this story with a fictional group of 4: Douglas, Seven, Popcorn, and Jesus. The 4-part series switches perspectives between each kid and showcases the events 36 hours prior to the massacre itself. The show doesn’t focus much on the events that took place after the massacre. In fact, it doesn’t really emphasize the massacre at all but focuses more on the idea of how such events impact lives, specifically children’s lives.

In all honesty, I think the show works exactly as it hopes it would, delivering a sad but true message: violence is the end of childhood. I guess if you’re looking for a history lesson or a to-the-t retelling...

Children of the Church Steps (Os Quatro da Candelária) dropped on Netflix today. It is inspired by events that took place in Rio, Brazil, in 1993 in what has come to be known as the Candelária Massacre. Eight homeless people – aged between 11 and 19-years-old – were killed when scores of street kids living outside the Candelária Chruch in Rio were attacked. Several of the group that launched the assault were found to be police officers.

The fictionalized account tells the stories of four children in the 36 hours leading up to one of Brazil’s most tragic events. It blends the story of their lives in a harsh urban setting with dreamlike sequences. A predominantly Black cast includes breakout talent Samuel Silva, Patrick Congo, Andrei Marques and Wendy Queiroz. Established stars including Antônio Pitanga, Péricles, Leandro Firmino, Bruno Gagliasso, Maria Bopp and Stepan Nercessian also appear.

Creator Luis Lomenha and Márcia Faria share...

Netflix’s Children of the Church Steps is a chilling show based on the true events at the Candelaria in 1993. The 4-part series delivers a poignant message about violence against children, specifically the homeless Black community of Brazil, through the stories of 4 children who spend their nights on the steps of the Candelaria in Rio. Children of the Church Steps’ ending episode is from the point of view of Jesus, the last of the 4 kids who escaped an orphanage together. Jesus was a kid left in the dumps with nothing but a name. The concluding few minutes of the final episode show us the unfortunate events unfolding. I guess the show leaves us with the message that sometimes all you need is faith. Only a few hours before the massacre, the kids are apprehended by the authorities for hanging out in front of the church. They’re simply basking in the sun,...

A new week is here, and so is November! When did that happen? But before we get to Thanksgiving, Netflix has a few movies and shows they are adding to their lineup this week, including a new season of a Netflix Original, a new documentary, and a comedy crime series.

First up is The Diplomat! Season 2 is hitting Netflix on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, and this season will start where last season left off. A bomb had just gone off, possibly injuring Kate's husband and staff, so we will likely get to see how everyone is recovering/who didn't survive. That will probably be most of the first episodes. Kate is also being looked at for the office of the Vice President, whether she likes it or not. And with Allison Janney as the current Vice President, things are sure to get sticky.

Take a look at the trailer here:

This week also brings Martha!