Apocalypse in the Tropics

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2:21

Apocalypse in the Tropics

PG-13

2025

1h 50m

Documentary

History

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Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

100+ 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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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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Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (LAist)

Oct 14, 2025

I thought it was great... Gripping and way, way too relevant.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

Oct 14, 2025

I appreciate this documentary very much... Very, very interesting.

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Guy Lodge

Variety

Oct 14, 2025

Rakes with a heavy heart through the recent past while casting an anxious eye to the future.

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Glenn Dunks

reDocumented

Mar 8, 2026

There’s no doubt a hell of a lot more to the story and maybe there’s another film’s story to tell in a trilogy-capping feature. But this is an incisive look at one country’s perilous descent into dangerous extremism...

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Steve Morrissey

Radio Times

Feb 23, 2026

3/5

This remains an important historical primer with more than just local or regional appeal.

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Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

Jan 31, 2026

B

Both Bolsonaro and Trump, and their evangelical followers have put a tremendous strain on the democratic institutions of both Brzazil and the United States. The parallels between the two are troubling.

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Jorge S

@RT34154138 Jul 23, 2026

Over its 110-minute runtime, the documentary masterfully constructs a sound and coherent narrative regarding the influence of religion on politics—specifically, the activities and growing presence of the evangelical faction within the National Congress, and its power to manipulate and influence presidential candidates and, by extension, the electorate. At times, drama overshadows the facts, fostering a public perception that a "win-at-all-costs" mentality has taken hold of Brazilian democracy, thereby weakening it. The culmination of this reality is found in the January 8, 2023, attacks on the institutions of the Republic’s three branches of government—an attempted coup d'état that was ultimately thwarted, resulting in the judicial punishment of the perpetrators. History of Brazil: 8.

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Mark D

@markdowd1959 Feb 20, 2026

Excellent content but badly compromised by the awful dubbing of the contributors and the choice of narrator's voice.

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Michael W

@RT03067665 Jan 15, 2026

I wish it wouldn't have been dubbed. The content is very important but the dubbing was so bad, it ruined the movie for me. Maybe in the future I'll give it another try with a sub-titled version.

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Josh C

@xjknightx Aug 28, 2025

Great story, but the documentarian's voice is unpleasant and the English dubbing of all of the dialogue is pretty awful.

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Lorena L

@RT27537381 Aug 14, 2025

Um documentário necessário.

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Sávio Túlio d

@savioliveira Jul 28, 2025

Um documentário para gringo ver. Para o brasileiro que tem cognição, choca e agrega pouco - para os outros, é campanha eleitoral tendenciosa.

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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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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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