Popular from Brazil
Friendly Beast
(O Animal Cordial)
When a restaurant owner is the victim of an attempted armed robbery, he takes everyone hostage – the criminals, but also his staff and his customers.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2018
- Director Gabriela Amaral Almeida
- Cast Murilo Benício, Luciana Paes, Irandhir Santos, Camila Morgado, Jiddú Pinheiro, Ernani Moraes
- Genre Crime, Horror, Thriller
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, VUDU Free
Laerte-se
A beloved cartoonist's story behind her coming out as transgender.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2017
- Director Lygia Barbosa da Silva
- Cast Laerte Coutinho, Eliane Brum, Rita Lee, Glamour Garcia, Angeli
- Genre Documentary
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Aquarius
Sometimes staying put is the greatest challenge.
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- Brazil, France • 2016
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Cast Sônia Braga, Maeve Jinkings, Irandhir Santos, Humberto Carrão, Fernando Teixeira, Zoraide Coleto
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
The Mechanism
(O Mecanismo)
A scandal erupts in Brazil during an investigation of alleged government corruption via oil and construction companies.
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- Brazil • 2018
- Creator Elena Soarez, José Padilha
- Cast Júlia Svacinna
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Mars One
(Marte Um)
A middle class Black family in Brazil adjusts to life under a far-right extremist president.
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- Brazil • 2022
- Director Gabriel Martins
- Cast Rejane Faria, Carlos Francisco, Camilla Damião, Cícero Lucas, Ana Hilário, Russo Apr
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
New from Brazil
Behind the Sun
(Abril Despedaçado)
They killed his brother. His father wants revenge. But if he takes it, they will come for him next.
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- Brazil, France, Switzerland • 2001
- Director Walter Salles
- Cast Rodrigo Santoro, José Dumont, Rita Assemany, Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, Ravi Ramos Lacerda, Flavia Marco Antonio
- Genre Crime, Drama, Family, Thriller
- Available on Hoopla
Carandiru
Dr. Drauzio Varella listens to the stories of prisoners in the Carandiru Penitentiary.
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- Brazil, Argentina, Italy • 2003
- Director Héctor Babenco
- Cast Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, Milton Gonçalves, Ivan de Almeida, Aílton Graça, Maria Luísa Mendonça, Aida Leiner
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
The Circle Brazil
(The Circle Brasil)
In this fun reality competition, online players try their best to flirt, bond and catfish their way to a R$300,000 prize.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, United Kingdom • 2020
- Creator
- Cast Ana Carla, Gabriel Moraes, João Akel, JP Gadelha
- Genre Reality
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
The Traitor
(Il traditore)
After trying to leave the mafia for Brazil, Tommaso Buscetta is forced to return to Italy and become an informant.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France, Germany • 2019
- Director Marco Bellocchio
- Cast Pierfrancesco Favino, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Fabrizio Ferracane, Fausto Russo Alesi, Luigi Lo Cascio, Bruno Cariello
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, AMC on Demand
Pictures of Ghosts
(Retratos Fantasmas)
Step into the past life of downtown Recife - where lost memories reside and forgotten stories unfold.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2023
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Cast Kleber Mendonça Filho, Rubens Santos, Sônia Braga, Maeve Jinkings, Lucrecia Martel, Alexandre Moura
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Criterion Channel
The Edge of Democracy
(Democracia em Vertigem)
A disturbing exploration into the complex truths behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Petra Costa
- Cast Dilma Rousseff, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Michel Temer, Eduardo Cunha, Jair Bolsonaro
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Angela
Ângela Diniz was a Brazillian socialite whose shocking murder in 1976 held the nation in its grip. This biopic tells the story of her life and tragic death.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2023
- Director Hugo Prata
- Cast Isis Valverde, Gabriel Braga Nunes, Alice Carvalho, Emílio Orciollo Netto, Gustavo Machado, Carolina Mânica
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Los delincuentes
Morán schemes to steal money, confess, and serve prison time while his accomplice hides the cash. While Morán’s away, the accomplice gets distracted by a woman who changes everything.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Argentina, Brazil, Luxembourg • 2023
- Director Rodrigo Moreno
- Cast Esteban Bigliardi, Margarita Molfino, Sergio Hernández, Cecilia Rainero
- Genre Drama
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Invisible Life
(A Vida Invisível)
Two estranged sisters struggle to make lives for themselves despite the restrictive expectations of 1950s Brazil.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Karim Aïnouz
- Cast Carol Duarte, Julia Stockler, Fernanda Montenegro, Gregório Duvivier, Bárbara Santos, Flávia Gusmão
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Freevee
Telescope Recommends
August Winds
(Ventos de Agosto)
Where things change, nature remains.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2014
- Director Gabriel Mascaro
- Cast Dandara de Morais, Geová Manoel do Santos, Gabriel Mascaro, Maria Salvino dos Santos, Antônio José dos Santos
- Genre Documentary, Mystery
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy
Sunday Ball
(Campo de Jogo)
A documentary following the annual championship game among neighborhood soccer teams in Rio de Janeiro.
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- Brazil • 2014
- Director Eryk Rocha
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV
Neon Bull
(Boi Neon)
An intimate depiction of a rodeo troupe touring the Brazilian Northeast.
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- Brazil, Uruguay, Netherlands • 2016
- Director Gabriel Mascaro
- Cast Juliano Cazarré, Maeve Jinkings, Aline Santana, Vinícius de Oliveira, Carlos Pessoa, Josinaldo Alves
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Kanopy
Don't Call Me Son
(Mãe Só Há Uma)
Ever since his father’s death, Pierre's mother has looked after him and his younger sister Jacqueline, spoiling them both, but when he discovers that she stole him from a hospital when he was a new born baby, Pierre’s life changes dramatically.
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- Brazil • 2016
- Director Anna Muylaert
- Cast Naomi Nero, Daniel Botelho, Dani Nefussi, Matheus Nachtergaele, Lais Dias
- Genre Drama
- Available on Kanopy
Too Late to Die Young
(Tarde para morir joven)
In a very dry summer in an isolated community far from the city, Sofia, Clara and Lucas face their first loves and fears.
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- Chile, Brazil, Argentina • 2019
- Director Dominga Sotomayor
- Cast Demian Hernández, Antar Machado, Magdalena Tótoro, Matías Oviedo, Andrés Aliaga
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, OVID, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Kanopy, Hoopla
Neighboring Sounds
(O Som ao Redor)
Life in a neighbourhood in Recife, Brazil takes an unexpected turn after the arrival of an independent private security firm.
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- Brazil • 2012
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Cast Maeve Jinkings, Irandhir Santos, Gustavo Jahn, W.J. Solha, Irma Brown, Sebastião Formiga
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy
The Second Mother
(Que Horas Ela Volta?)
Unspoken class barriers within a home come crashing down when the live-in housekeeper's daughter suddenly appears.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2015
- Director Anna Muylaert
- Cast Regina Casé, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli, Michel Joelsas, Helena Albergaria
- Genre Drama
- Available on OVID, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Sócrates
After his mother’s death, 15-year-old Sócrates must survive on his own in the São Paulo favelas while wrestling with his grief.
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- Brazil • 2018
- Director Alexandre Moratto
- Cast Christian Malheiros, Tales Ordakji, Caio Martinez Pacheco, Rosane Paulo, Jayme Rodrigues
- Genre Drama
- Available on FlixFling, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Kanopy, Hoopla
City of God
(Cidade de Deus)
Three young men embark on different yet intertwined paths as they try to survive in the dangerous favelas of Rio.
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- Brazil, France • 2002
- Director Fernando Meirelles
- Cast Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, Matheus Nachtergaele
- Genre Drama, Crime
- Available on fuboTV, Showtime Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
Documentaries from Brazil
Beyond Elections: Redefining Democracy in the Americas
An exploration of the many incarnations of democracy across the Americas
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Venezuela, Brazil, United States • 2008
- Director Michael Fox, Silvia Leindecker
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, YouTube, Kanopy
Elena
Elena — who spent her childhood in Brazil fearing an authoritarian regime — moves to New York and pursues a lifelong dream shared with her mother: to be a movie actress.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, United States • 2013
- Director Petra Costa
- Cast Li An, Elena Andrade, Petra Costa
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, GuideDoc, OVID, Netflix basic with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, VUDU Free, Kanopy
Convergence: Courage in a Crisis
While Covid-19 exacerbates vulnerabilities worldwide, unsung heroes at all levels of society help turn the tide toward a brighter future.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2021
- Director Orlando von Einsiedel
- Cast Wenhua Lin, Sara Khaki, Mohammad Rezi Eyni
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
The Edge of Democracy
(Democracia em Vertigem)
A disturbing exploration into the complex truths behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Petra Costa
- Cast Dilma Rousseff, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Michel Temer, Eduardo Cunha, Jair Bolsonaro
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Tranny Fag
(Bixa Travesty)
Linn da Quebrada pushes back on the labels society tries to place on queer people of color.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Claudia Priscilla
- Cast Linn da Quebrada, Jup do Bairro, Liniker, Assucena Assucena, Raquel Virgínia, Ney Matogrosso
- Genre Documentary
- Available on GuideDoc, True Story, Apple TV, Kanopy, myfilmfriend
The Territory
The Indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people fight back against deforestation and illegal settling on their land.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, Denmark, United States • 2022
- Director Alex Pritz
- Cast Neidinha Bandeira, Bitaté Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, Ari Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Disney Plus
In the Intense Now
(No Intenso Agora)
A personal essay which analyses and compares images of the political upheavals of the 1960s.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2017
- Director João Moreira Salles
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on OVID, Apple TV
Waste Land
What lies at the heart of the world's largest trash city?
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- Brazil, United Kingdom • 2010
- Director Lucy Walker
- Cast Vik Muniz
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
Central Airport THF
(Zentralflughafen THF)
A portrait of Berlin’s famed Tempelhof airport. Once glorified by Nazis, today it houses refugees and asylum seekers.
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- Germany, France, Brazil • 2018
- Director Karim Aïnouz
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Film Movement Plus
Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang
(Jia Zhangke, Um Homem de Fenyang)
Acclaimed filmmaker Zia Zhangke returns to the shootings locations of his films.
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- Brazil, France • 2014
- Director Walter Salles
- Cast Jia Zhangke, Wang Hongwei, Zhao Tao, Han Sanming, Nelson Yu Lik-wai
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy
Pictures of Ghosts
(Retratos Fantasmas)
Step into the past life of downtown Recife - where lost memories reside and forgotten stories unfold.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2023
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Cast Kleber Mendonça Filho, Rubens Santos, Sônia Braga, Maeve Jinkings, Lucrecia Martel, Alexandre Moura
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Criterion Channel
Cinema Novo
A movie-essay about the most important movement of Latin American cinema.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2016
- Director Eryk Rocha
- Cast Glauber Rocha, Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, Leon Hirszman, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Ruy Guerra
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Amazon Video, OVID, Hoopla, Apple TV
August Winds
(Ventos de Agosto)
Where things change, nature remains.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2014
- Director Gabriel Mascaro
- Cast Dandara de Morais, Geová Manoel do Santos, Gabriel Mascaro, Maria Salvino dos Santos, Antônio José dos Santos
- Genre Documentary, Mystery
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy
The Salt of the Earth
(Le sel de la terre)
A journey through the Earth's wrath and beauty with Sebastião Salgado.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Brazil, Italy • 2014
- Director Wim Wenders
- Cast Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders, Hugo Barbier
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Festival Favorites
The Second Mother
(Que Horas Ela Volta?)
Unspoken class barriers within a home come crashing down when the live-in housekeeper's daughter suddenly appears.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2015
- Director Anna Muylaert
- Cast Regina Casé, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli, Michel Joelsas, Helena Albergaria
- Genre Drama
- Available on OVID, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Elena
Elena — who spent her childhood in Brazil fearing an authoritarian regime — moves to New York and pursues a lifelong dream shared with her mother: to be a movie actress.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, United States • 2013
- Director Petra Costa
- Cast Li An, Elena Andrade, Petra Costa
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, GuideDoc, OVID, Netflix basic with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, VUDU Free, Kanopy
Invisible Life
(A Vida Invisível)
Two estranged sisters struggle to make lives for themselves despite the restrictive expectations of 1950s Brazil.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Karim Aïnouz
- Cast Carol Duarte, Julia Stockler, Fernanda Montenegro, Gregório Duvivier, Bárbara Santos, Flávia Gusmão
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Freevee
Bacurau
A Brazilian village is targeted by a group of armed mercenaries… who may have met their match.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juliano Dornelles
- Cast Bárbara Colen, Udo Kier, Sônia Braga, Thomas Aquino, Silvero Pereira, Wilson Rabelo
- Genre Mystery, Thriller, Western
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
Prayers for the Stolen
(Noche de fuego)
Three young girls come of age in a small and war-torn town in Mexico.
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- Mexico, Germany, Brazil • 2021
- Director Tatiana Huezo
- Cast Mayra Batalla, Norma Pablo, Olivia Lagunas, Teresa Sánchez, Guillermo Villegas
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Zama
An officer must find a way to escape from South America in this film based on the 1956 novel.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Argentina, Brazil, Spain • 2017
- Director Lucrecia Martel
- Cast Daniel Giménez Cacho, Lola Dueñas, Matheus Nachtergaele, Juan Minujín, Nahuel Cano, Mariana Nunes
- Genre Drama
- Available on Strand Releasing Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy