Apocalypse in the Tropics

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Apocalypse in the Tropics

PG-13

2025

1h 50m

Documentary

History

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Popcornmeter

91%

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44 Reviews

88%

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

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

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

Oct 14

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

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Guy Lodge

Variety

Oct 14

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

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Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

2d

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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John Stark

Mac the Movie Guy

Dec 30

86/100

Apocalypse In The Tropics is a warning, that democracy is fragile, and liars often approach like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

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Dionar Hidalgo

Algo Más Que Cine

Dec 27

8/10

A chilling, deeply personal essay on how faith mutates into power. Petra Costa exposes Brazil’s evangelical populism as a global warning: democracy doesn’t collapse overnight—it’s slowly preached into oblivion.

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Michael W

Jan 15

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

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

Aug 14

Um documentário necessário.

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Sávio Túlio d

@savioliveira Jul 28

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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nebulousclarity

Jul 27

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.

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Igor L

Jul 24

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...

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Petra Costa

Director

Petra Costa

Self

Jair Bolsonaro

Self

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Self

Petra Costa

Writer

Alessandra Orofino

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Apocalypse in the Tropics: Trailer 1

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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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