For many of Bolsonaro’s critics, which also include non-Indigenous advocates against environmental destruction, abortion, institutional homophobia, and COVID-19 denialism, his losing of the last election still was a big relief, even though it wasn’t a huge change that could be celebrated. It is true that the reign of Dilma’s Brazil is at the helm of odious Lula alongside his Worker’s Party but, the power tussles witnessed in the decades gone by, as well as the authoritarian surge that recently occurred is still fresh in the minds of the impoverished society of this banana republic. Regarding her self-declared “revisionist” documentary fiction Christ says, “There is nothing that is not hidden which shall not be revealed”, about her movie entitled Apocalypse in the Tropics.
The documentary depicts Petra Costa’s democratic film centered on the collapse of democracy in Brazil while touching on how neo-liberalism destroyed the political system. It seems as if Costa and her supporters expect shame, fear, and a flicker of hope from the viewers who relish her previous works. However, the movie that was released in 2019 does a great job at detailing Brazil’s turn towards the right during the election along with boosted advancements in technology while capturing the essence of her other works. Working with Brad Pitt on edge of democracy seems like a great leap for a filmmaker who wishes to prove that even in hardship there are greater lessons that can be learned, something she aims for in this film and hones with her existing style. The Cotabato seasoned this film with superb cinematography that makes even the simplest moments feel larger than life. Building on the tremendous reception it got during the film festivals in Cannes and Lisbon, fans are eager to see what Neves Castro has in stock.
Five years and a global pandemic later, while Costa may be glad to speak of events surrounding the government of Bolsonaro in the past, she is however not done speaking of the consequences and the reasons for this regime in relation to the state. For Brother films made at the time of two divergent political contexts, ‘The Edge of Democracy’ and ’Apocalypse in the Tropics’ however have the same outlook and approach. However, this does not imply that they have some of the same arguments. The new film, as it has already been suggested in the name taken from the Book of Revelation, does focus more on one particular social cleavage phenomenon which Costa admits she did not consider in depth in her ex-film the rapid growth of the poor in Brazil towards the evangelical Christianity which today makes up more than thirty percent of the population against five percent about forty years ago.
Unquestionably, this argument has some merit. Bolivia is a country that has been heavily influenced by Catholicism due to the Spaniard conquests. In times of conquest, the Spaniards not only subjugated the people but also instilled Catholicism in them. Despite being raised in a Catholic nation, religious practices in Bolivia were rarely enforced and limited to a selection of rituals. In considering these ideas, it is easier to comprehend why most efforts trying to establish Evangelicalism and peasant communities in the Bolivian highlands failed or led to disappointing results. It is also crucial to note the proportion of the rural Andean campensino population of this old cellaring way of life was composed of over-age people and elderly people are known as a low yet dependable source of membership growth. However, the process would take less effort in areas with a significant amount of youth, such as Cochabamba, La Paz, and Santa Cruz, even though it would still prove to be a long-term project.
Within “Apocalypse in the Tropics”, the central character appears to be neither Lula nor Bolsonaro Carlos Costa is given a rather amusing segment as he shares the limelight with a US presidential candidate that needs to metaphorically kiss the Catholics, the Evangelical base in this case, while in the campaign trails, he promises not to amend the abortion laws. It seems more fitting to associate with Lula the American televangelist Silas Malafaia who, unlike the former, now appears to be more instructions to identify people whom these new masses will be able to relate to and support as a populist politician. Silas Malafaia, on the other hand, is religiously active and is a self-styled politician who holds almost all notions of conservatism. He, along with Costa, unlike the politicians they endorse as proper representatives of American Evangelicalism in the Brazilian congress and supremo, is more of a good strong speaker than a political figure.
An engaging and provocative character Malafaia endorses anti-gay and anti-abortion approaches as the true feelings of the Brazilian people, while during a warm conversation with Costa, he seems to say the absolute opposite. Costa responds instead with a comment about the very essence of democracy isn’t it true that minorities have to be protected regardless of the will of the majority of the people? He answered this with a definite no and with a chuckle making it look like the question was somewhat peculiar. “How could the same Jesus whom I loved, who preached love and compassion, use to justify a cruel regime?” Malcolm Cox through a voiceover montage relates. It seems that he was not in the category of a supporter of self-justification, which is characteristic of many politicians, to be correct. So it is secular that the acknowledgment stems solely from personal faith, namely, God is on one’s side and there is no need to explain or plead for one’s opinions.
Even though Brazil has almost completely been taken by the left, how do you think that the nation will one day manage to turn into a theocracy, asked Costa. The film is divided into several elements called the bible, however, all the traditional images were in fact focused on the graceless Malafaia’s media prowess. This historian unapprovingly refers to the last film of the American sociologist as it was accompanied by a personal Instagram account of a famous scholar, which this film seeks to remove from the interpretation. Costa alongside other researchers agrees with this perspective and suggests that the significant John Dunn Graham came to Brazil during the American efforts to curb the growing influence of left-wing Brazilian Catholicism and toured the country in the stadiums exporting American Evangelicalism.
While there are other Evangelical figures in Brazil that wouldn’t make such a drastic approach, Malafaia altered his views from more business-like to prosperity theology, saying that in a free market, his methods would simply work. Following it, as stated above Malafaia for him, only now is the prosperity gospel favorable to the working classes. In regards to how he rationalizes Gospel inspiration, he now preaches that favor FF 794 which angers the South. Mamdou emphasizes that the masses now have Star Wars-like dreams ‘Now it’s time for life and war.’ The United States is driven to abolish restrictions that the transnational gospel warriors impose on them.
The fusion of religiosity and political loyalty, the authors of the film say, is a combination that can be used for evil purposes with terrifying results, as for example was the case during the events of January 2023, when the supporters of Bolsonaro marched after losing the elections witnessing that the president under Bolsonaro and Malafaia has been calling for ‘military soldiers’, a mob of angry voters of Bolsonaro came and seized and destroyed the Congress of Brazil’s buildings in Brasilia. We note with irritation, say the makers of the film, that this time the events may trigger extreme disbelief from the audiences, the real and growing chaos in Brazilian politics will have strong divides between democracy and autocracy, citing the earlier invasion of the Trumpist fans into the Capitol two years ago as an analogy. Like the viewers of the film, they do not wish the director to elaborate on why Trump’s people confined their assault to just one country.
Such extreme behaviors, in Costa’s opinion, are supposed to be exercised by the followers who interpret the apocalyptic manifestations of the Day of Judgement as portrayed in the Book of Revelation. The image glides over the deserted building sites of Jove and the once-great Palace of the National Congress, and only one question remains: where along the timeline could mankind actually be now?
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