Apocalypse in the Tropics
Petra Costa / Brazil / 2024 / 110 min
Five years after her Academy-Award nominated ‘The Edge of Democracy’, Petra Costa dives into Brazil’s political inferno, brilliantly exposing the apocalyptical clash between religion and democracy.
As democracies around the world fight dark forces, Brazilian filmmaker Petra Costa plunges into the infernal flames of her country’s politics, searching for a sign of light. What she uncovers is the growing influence of apocalyptic theology and the resurgence of obscurantism.
Infiltrating the system with the skill of a seasoned journalist, she gains access to Brazil’s top leaders: President Lula, former President Bolsonaro, and Pastor Malafaia – an influential televangelist and a puppet master to the far right, preaching the Bible as the sole legitimate Constitution.
‘The worse it gets on Earth, the faster Jesus returns’, Malafaia and his fanatical apostles prophesize. Costa’s camera scrutinizes the details of Renaissance paintings depicting the burning souls of the Apocalypse. Weaving together past and present, she illuminates the contradictory realities of a young democracy hanging by a thread, while holding up a mirror to the rest of the world.