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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
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89% Tomatometer 37 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 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.
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Apocalypse in the Tropics

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Critics Consensus

A gripping and unsettling documentary, Apocalypse in the Tropics offers a sobering reflection on the dangerous erosion of democratic boundaries as religious extremism intertwines with political power.

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Critics Reviews

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Randy Myers San Jose Mercury News It’s a timely documentary from the maker of “The Edge of Democracy” that puts the political upheaval not just in Brazil but in America in stark perspective. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 21, 2025 Full Review 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 Morris Yang In Review Online Though the matter is urgent and the subject eminently worthy of study, the film resembles, ironically, a sermon of its own, preaching to the converted outsiders a watered-down version of its gospel. Aug 12, 2025 Full Review Dorothy Woodend The Tyee (British Columbia) ...Malafaia is not exactly the kingmaker one might assume from his grandstanding ways. But as the film makes clear his ability to marshal the voting power of the third of Brazil’s population,...means the weird dude has political clout. Jul 28, 2025 Full Review Stephen Silver The SS Ben Hecht There’s one obvious takeaway: Right-wing religious extremism, denial of election results, and post-defeat insurrections aren’t just for us Americans anymore. Jul 25, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Josh C Great story, but the documentarian's voice is unpleasant and the English dubbing of all of the dialogue is pretty awful. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/28/25 Full Review Lorena L Um documentário necessário. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/14/25 Full Review Sávio Túlio d Um documentário para gringo ver. Para o brasileiro que tem cognição, choca e agrega pouco - para os outros, é campanha eleitoral tendenciosa. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/28/25 Full Review Audience Member Got intrigued from watching the trailer, so I resubscribed to Netflix just for this, but I couldn't get myself to finish it after putting in about half an hour. I understand the concern for religious fanaticism blending into politics, needless to say. It's just that the more I watched the doc, it felt too repetitive over the same theme with too much detail. And the overarching narrative didn't really seem balanced for the left, while covering the extreme side of the right, although what I missed from the remainder may say other wise; hence the three stars for a neutral rating. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/27/25 Full Review Igor L Cara, a Petra Costa é simplesmente FOD@! Mais um filme que será, certamente, indicado ao Oscar. Essa mulher sabe fazer um documentário como poucos! Dito isto, é interessante perceber, desde o início, como o foco do Malafaia sempre esteve em se associar a algum político de grande influência a fim de mexer os fios certos para manipulá-lo dos bastidores (algo que, muito provavelmente, ele percebeu ser impossível com Lula, daí o seu ódio por sua figura anos mais tarde - haja vista que, lá em 2002, ele estava orando e fazendo todo aquele mesmo papel que tanto exerceu durante toda a fase de candidatura e mandato de Bolsonaro). Só não consigo entender, diante de tantas evidências, como ele conseguiu se safar de uma investigação séria ligada à mesma tentativa de golpe que os demais, quando fica claro que ele teve papel central em insuflar tanto a população quanto o próprio ex-presidente, na época... Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/24/25 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Petra Costa

Director

Petra Costa

Self

Jair Bolsonaro

Self

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Self

Petra Costa

Writer

Alessandra Orofino

Writer

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Apocalypse in the Tropics

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Apocalypse in the Tropics

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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
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