Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Apocalypse in the Tropics

Play trailer 2:21 Poster for Apocalypse in the Tropics PG-13 Released Jul 11 1h 50m Documentary History Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
90% Tomatometer 31 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
When does a democracy end, and a theocracy begin? In APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS, Petra Costa investigates the increasingly powerful grip that faith leaders hold over politics in Brazil. Costa gains extraordinary access to the country's top political leaders, including President Lula, and former President Bolsonaro, as well as to Brazil's most famous televangelist: a larger-than-life pastor who seems to play puppet master to the latter. As the film unveils the key role the evangelical movement has played in Brazil's recent political turmoil, it also reveals the apocalyptic theology that drives its chief protagonists. As in her Academy-Award® nominated THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY, Costa documents a time of profound confusion and despair with lucidity and a poetic eye. Weaving past and present, she immerses us in the contradictory realities of a young democracy that is hanging on by a thread, and in doing so holds up a mirror to the rest of the world.
Watch on Netflix Stream Now

Where to Watch

Apocalypse in the Tropics

Critics Reviews

View All (31)
Kevin Maher The Times (UK) Ending with uncertainty, and a sense that Brazil is never too far away from another military dictatorship, this is sobering, essential viewing. Rated: 4/5 Jul 16, 2025 Full Review Monica Castillo RogerEbert.com Gently peeling back her country’s (and our own) history with faith and religion, [Costa] finds some dark, uncomfortable answers to who is really shaping the future of her country. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 15, 2025 Full Review Danny Leigh Financial Times The film takes on the tone of investigative journalism, though Malafaia scarcely needs exposing. The harder task would seem to be keeping him off camera, and from boasting of his clout with Bolsonaro.  Rated: 4/5 Jul 14, 2025 Full Review Marya E. Gates Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack) There’s no way to watch this film and not see it as a mirror for how religious fanaticism has taken over politics in the U.S. and other right-wing countries around the world Jul 18, 2025 Full Review John Serba Decider Apocalypse in the Tropics is a riveting and scary portrait of the crumbling wall between church and state, the separation of which is absolutely fundamental to democracy. Jul 17, 2025 Full Review Siddhant Adlakha Truthdig Tackles the politics of Brazilian evangelicalism with tools redolent of a true crime story. But for all of its forensic analysis, it falls dispiritingly short of a hard-boiled exposé, failing to interrogate its underlying mechanics and visceral allure. Jul 17, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (7)
Luciano M A narrativa apresenta um viés significativo, caracterizado por alguns fatos contorcidos, e a omissão ou extrapolação de certas informações cruciais. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/20/25 Full Review Stephen C Real footage in 1 hour and 50 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Some Language and Nudity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Brazilian Portuguese and American English audio options with American English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/19/25 Full Review Marina W At first, I wasn’t sure where the filmmaker was taking me. But as I surrendered to the pace and allowed the images and voices to speak for themselves, the story slowly—and powerfully—came into focus. You begin to connect the dots with her. I hope this documentary opens the eyes of many, both in Brazil and around the world, to the madness that has misled so many. Brazil is not just a country of potential—it’s a powerful force. And with that power comes a deep responsibility for its people to wake up and act. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/16/25 Full Review Robson C O documentário analisa o crescimento dos evangélicos na população brasileira, os seus efeitos na política nacional e a eleição de Jair Bolsonaro em 2018. A diretora traça um caminho desde o surgimento dessa nova linha de pastores evangélicos que exercem a sua influência em vários segmentos da vida brasileira, principalmente na política. O filme pode ser definido em 2 depoimentos: um do pastor Silas Malafaia, onde ele afirma que a democracia é o governo da maioria e percebe-se que ele vai ignorar as minorias nessa sua democracia. O outro depoimento é o do Lula, onde ele demonstra onde a esquerda e a Igreja Católica falharam e a religião evangélica acertou. A qualidade técnica do filme é inegável, como sua edição, onde aos poucos a diretora vai apresentando a sua tese. É um excelente trabalho, porém sinto que ainda ficou muita coisa a ser contada, além das vezes o documentário ser um produto mais para o mercado internacional do que o brasileiro, tentando explicar como Bolsonaro foi eleito. Muitas imagens são mais do que conhecidas do Brasil. Apesar de dedicar uma parte à pandemia, sinto que esta parte não era necessária ou, então, que demonstrasse o negacionismo de algumas igrejas evangélicas, oferecendo curas milagrosas. Não é um documentário que vai mudar as pessoas seguidoras de Malafaia ou Bolsonaro. Ela fala mais com o outro lado do espectro político, tentando explicar como chegamos a mais de 30% da população se declarando evangélica e como isso pode influir na política nacional. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/16/25 Full Review Audience Member Embora bem feito, bem roterizado, com escolhas cuidadosas do conteúdo exposto, o filme visa, assim como o documentário anterior em meados de 2019, defender uma narrativa politicamente tendenciosa. Críticas, embora válidas e que podem participar do debate político, distorce a realidade do contexto protestante no Brasil, como se a fé adveio ao Brasil apenas para evitar uma revolução, ignorando uma experiência de fé tangível no Brasil. É triste ver uma generalização da fé protestante como causa de uma conspiração, tendenciosamente para impactar pessoas laicas e que não vão buscar oa fatos para entender o passado religioso ou político do Brasil. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/16/25 Full Review Vincenzo P Masterpiece merging anthropology, philosophy, politics and economy. Questioning how even being resilient, a democracy can still be heavily challenged in modern times, with massive narrative manipulation and money spending both in and out of the internet. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/15/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Apocalypse in the Tropics

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Blue Box 100% % Blue Box Watchlist TRAILER for Blue Box Join or Die 95% % Join or Die Watchlist TRAILER for Join or Die Fioretta 100% 100% Fioretta Watchlist TRAILER for Fioretta Television Event 88% % Television Event Watchlist Free Chol Soo Lee 100% 88% Free Chol Soo Lee Watchlist TRAILER for Free Chol Soo Lee Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis When does a democracy end, and a theocracy begin? In APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS, Petra Costa investigates the increasingly powerful grip that faith leaders hold over politics in Brazil. Costa gains extraordinary access to the country's top political leaders, including President Lula, and former President Bolsonaro, as well as to Brazil's most famous televangelist: a larger-than-life pastor who seems to play puppet master to the latter. As the film unveils the key role the evangelical movement has played in Brazil's recent political turmoil, it also reveals the apocalyptic theology that drives its chief protagonists. As in her Academy-Award® nominated THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY, Costa documents a time of profound confusion and despair with lucidity and a poetic eye. Weaving past and present, she immerses us in the contradictory realities of a young democracy that is hanging on by a thread, and in doing so holds up a mirror to the rest of the world.
Director
Petra Costa
Producer
Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino
Screenwriter
Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino, David Barker, Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino, Nels Bangerter, David Barker
Distributor
Netflix
Production Co
Busca Vida Filmes, Peri Productions
Rating
PG-13 (Some Language and Nudity)
Genre
Documentary, History
Original Language
Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 11, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 14, 2025
Runtime
1h 50m
Most Popular at Home Now