The Edge of Democracy

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The Edge of Democracy

2019

1h 53m

Documentary

History

Drama

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97%

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34 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

The beleaguered leaders of Brazil are followed as they deal with their ideologically divided country.

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Critics Consensus

Assembled with absorbing insight and passion by director Petra Costa, The Edge of Democracy is a disturbing and expansive overview of how a democratic nation can teeter into autocracy.

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Justin Chang

FilmWeek (LAist)

This works very well as both a primer on the tumultuous last several years of Brazilian politics and also as a very passionate personal essay film.

Oct 1, 2019

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

Costa manages to craft an intimate primer about the state's descent into populism and the fraying of the country's democratic fabric.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 21, 2019

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Ela Bittencourt

NPR

Engrossing...

Jun 20, 2019

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Derick Gomez

PopMatters

[T]he footage of mass progressive mobilizations serves as a timely reminder that there are countless like-minded people that are outraged and ready to push back to defend the rights they have attained over the decades.

Nov 20, 2020

Full Review

Film Companion Staff

Film Companion

Petra Costa's Oscar-winning documentary, stalking the rise and fall of two Brazilian Presidents during the country's socio-political crisis, is unflinchingly personal, and challenges our perception of "political" filmmaking.

Oct 28, 2020

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Carlos Bonfil

La Jornada

[Has] the rhythm and intensity of a political thriller. [Full review in Spanish]

Jun 29, 2020

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Alexsander F

Absolute stunner! There's so much you have to know...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/17/25

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William M

Não é um documentário! Filme patrocinado pelo Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) para mostrar a sua própria visão e suas narrativas políticas sobre os acontecimentos políticos durante sua permanência no poder executivo. Contém várias distorções históricas bem como inverdades sobre os fatos.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/09/23

Full Review

rafael z

Filme de propaganda política, pautada em inverdades.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/21/23

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Audience Member

The sad true story about politics in Brazil.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

How did we get to Bolsonaro? In 2020, this is a question on the minds of many political commentators. Edge of Democracy "Democracia em Vertigem" provides a convincing answer to this relevant question. Why did Jair Bolsonaro defeat former São Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad and become president of Brazil in 2018? Bolsonaro is a strongman. He has been dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics." He is an authoritarian leader who espouses populist, homophobic, and sexist rhetoric. How is it that Brazil, the fifth largest country in the world, elected someone so reactionary and appalling? The easiest answer: Bolsonaro was an imperfect antidote to the endemic corruption that has been so prevalent in Brazil for the past decades. Not long ago, Dilma Rouseff— the first woman to be elected as president in Brazil— was impeached for corruption. Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, another Workers' Party politician, was also arrested. Still other Workers' Party politicians have been mired by one of the biggest political scandals of the 21st Century— Operation Lava Jato (Car Wash). It seems that Brazilians sought out an alternative to this corruption. This is the perfect documentary for outside observers to understand how Brazil got to this point.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Hallucinated fiction

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Petra Costa

Director

Dilma Rousseff

Actor

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Actor

Marisa Letícia Lula Da Silva

Actor

Sérgio Moro

Actor

Eduardo Cunha

Actor

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Synopsis

The beleaguered leaders of Brazil are followed as they deal with their ideologically divided country.

Director: Petra Costa
Producer: Joanna Natasegara, Tiago Pavan, Petra Costa, Shane Boris
Screenwriter: Petra Costa, Carol Pires, David Barker, Moara Passoni
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Netflix, Busca Vida Filmes
Genre: Documentary, History, Drama
Original Language: Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 19, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 19, 2019
Runtime: 1h 53m

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