A new documentary from Petra Costa on Netflix explores Brazil’s political and spiritual turmoil, underscoring the fragility of democracy.
Netflix’s newest political documentary, Apocalypse in the Tropics, is a gripping, unsettling look at how democracy in Brazil threatened to unravel when religion and political ambition became deeply intertwined. Directed by Academy Award nominee Petra Costa, the film premieres globally on July 14 — and one thing that makes it such a compelling watch is the fact that it’s relevant to more countries than just Brazil.
With its striking parallels to U.S. politics, this one might make some Trump supporters a little uncomfortable, especially in how it explores the rise of religious populism and its impact on democratic norms.
At the heart of this movie is a question that’s meant to challenge viewers, about where to draw the line between a democracy and a theocracy — and just when it is that a country steps over that line from one to the other.
