Cinema studies scholar Paula Halperin explores how three recent documentaries can help us understand—and grapple with—the current political moment in Brazil.
In The Edge of Democracy, a Netflix documentary, Petra Costa recounts the rise and fall of Brazilian democracy and the human costs of lost hope. While there is much to praise about the film, it sometimes sacrifices nuance for the sake of clarity.
Tracing the roots of political corruption in Brazil from Vargas to Bolsonaro reveals corruption as a political strategy that has long been woven into the fabric of Brazilian politics.
The Workers’ Party’s presidential candidate stands between Brazil and fascism. Fernando Haddad’s time as both Education Minister and mayor of São Paulo attests to the kinds of progressive policies he would promote as president.
The strength of far-right demagogue Jair Bolsonaro in the first round of the Brazilian elections puts the country well on its way to being the next victim of a reactionary-populist international groundswell.
Brazil’s leading presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva could face jail time as soon as April 4 and his subsequent disqualification from the race. What does this mean for the future of democracy and the Left in Brazil?
Leaked tapes revealing massive corruption and bribery by Brazil’s coup president, Michel Temer, and party leader Aécio Neves have sent the country’s right-wing coalition into a tailspin. Could it be an opening for the Left?
