Five years ago, Petra Costa received an Oscar nomination for her film The Edge of Democracy, which documented the election of Jair Bolsonaro as president of Brazil. Now, her follow-up, Apocalypse in the Tropics, continues the political story of her country with a look at the rise of evangelical Christian influence in Brazil and how it paved the way for Bolsonaro’s reign in the Palácio do Planalto. The documentary also covers the reelection of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and its aftermath. For those who saw Apocalypse in the Tropics at Venice or any of its other fall festival appearances last year, Costa has added an update at the end recognizing news from November.
For American viewers who don’t follow Brazilian politics and current events, Apocalypse in the Tropics can feel like a foreign-language remake of what’s happened in the U.S. (though some Americans will choose the English dub version, including a separately recorded narration from Costa). Scenes of Bolsonaro’s supporters storming federal buildings in January 2023 are especially familiar to us. And as a few other documentaries have explored, President Donald Trump has also benefited from the evangelical movement’s backing. Unlike those forgettable docs, this film has a distinctive touch and perspective thanks to Costa’s direction and voiceover.
Compared to The Edge of Democracy, though, Apocalypse in the Tropics lacks the personal history element that made the earlier film so engaging. It’s got her personality but not the intimacy that fans of hers (myself included), going back to the release of her feature debut, Elena, are drawn to. Apocalypse in the Tropics is also less cohesive in its focus and perhaps too immediate in its historicism to make a strong point. Following stories as they play out can have that effect. It could have just been about Silas Malafaia, the televangelist pastor who was most instrumental in providing Bolsonaro with the religious vote, or it could have had less of him.
Still, there’s no other filmmaker I’d want as a guide through this story or any other regarding Brazil (I recommend following Costa on social media to see her regularly sharing news, including its economic relationship with the U.S. as of late. We named Apocalypse in the Tropics one of our most anticipated documentaries of 2025 at the start of this year, and I can’t say it disappointed. If this is your first taste of Costa’s style, maybe go back and watch her other films first. If you liked The Edge of Democracy in particular, Apocalypse in the Tropics is a must-watch companion piece. I also think it makes for an interesting contrasting double feature with the recently released documentary Prime Minister, about a world leader serving during the same time.