Netflix's Sobering Apocalypse in the Tropics Depicts the Rise of Evangelical Christianity in Brazilian Politics

Time​ Magazine

5 days ago

In the opening shot of Apocalypse in the Tropics, the camera pans across a cracked canvas on which a group of nude figures, all with blurred expressions, seek shelter inside the protective cocoon of a cracked white egg. This detail is part of the enigmatic triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, a painting that serves as a moral warning about the destructive power of unchecked desires. It's a fitting introduction to a documentary that examines the rise of Christian Nationalism in Brazil, which hits Netflix today after premiering at last year's Venice Film Festival.
Directed, co-written, and narrated by Petra Costa, whose 2019 film The Edge of Democracy was nominated for an Academy Award, this eye-opening documentary is divided into chapters, each one recounting a seismic sociopolitical moment that gripped the nation. The cinematography blends the historical with the mythic and personal, combining archival footage and interviews with spiritual leaders and political officials. Among the most prominent are televangelist Silas Malafaia and Brazil's current and former presidents, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (known as Lula) and Jair Bolsonaro.
'Making this film was an epic journey. We filmed for four years, almost uninterruptedly, during one of the darkest and most difficult times in Brazil's history,' Costa tells TIME. Her team sifted through thousands of hours of archival footage, filed many freedom of information requests in Brazil and the U.S., gained access to a powerful televangelist and two presidents engaged in power struggles, and navigated COVID-19 wards, mass graves, and the homes of the poor. 'Our desire was to capture the pulse of Brazilian society from the streets to the congress, up to the presidential palace. In doing so, what came into focus through the material was the extraordinary grip religious leaders were holding on political power, and the threat religious fundamentalism is posing to the separation of church and state,' says Costa.
Laying the groundwork for Christian nationalism
Following the period of colonial rule and tradition, during the fourth Brazilian Republic, President Juscelino Kubitschek envisioned a new future for Brazil centered on democracy, not grounded in faith in God but in progress and equality. He encouraged a nationalistic spirit and the belief that the country would become a great world power. Kubitschek constructed the new federal capital, Brasilia, designed by Oscar Niemeyer and Lúcio Costa, and inaugurated it in April 1960. Brazilians considered the capital city, which replaced Rio de Janeiro, a symbol of the nation's future significance on the world stage.
This vision did not fully come to fruition. In recent years, Brazil has become increasingly fragmented, amplified by a widespread subscription to hateful doctrines, culture wars, anti-intellectualism, disinformation on social media, apocalyptic messaging, doomsday conspiracy theories, and ethno-religious identity politics.
Apocalypse in the Tropics depicts the Christian nationalists and fundamentalists who have risen to power in Brazil as beholden to a belief in divine retribution. Political and religious leaders such as Malafaia and Magno Malta embrace a vengeful Jesus willing to strike down non-believers and perceived enemies of God. Some of this stems from what the documentary positions as a misinterpretation of the often-cited and controversial Book of Revelation. Their goal is to establish a Christian nation and defend cultural conservatism. Costa's filmmaking firmly establishes the view that this group will pursue these objectives even at the cost of 'loving thy neighbor' and the interests of society at large.
For centuries, Catholicism brought by Portuguese colonizers—serving as both a spiritual framework and a political tool—laid the groundwork for Christian nationalism to grow. 'While it provided rituals and beliefs that shaped Brazil's cultural identity, it was also used to legitimize the violent subjugation of Indigenous peoples and the enslavement of millions of Africans forcibly brought to the country,' Costa says. In the past 40 years, evangelism has surged from 5 percent to over 30 percent of Brazil's population.
Though it once wielded great influence over people's lives, the Holy See's power has waned in recent times. Still, with the rise of populist and ultra-conservative politicians utilizing nationalistic rhetoric, theocracy is becoming a greater concern for secular societies. Costa sees the message of Apocalypse in the Tropics as having resonance far beyond Brazil. 'From Hungary to India, Italy to the United States, a whole generation of far-right leaders has emerged with strong ties to fundamentalist theologies. And as their movements grow, so does the power of the individual religious leaders at their forefront,' she says.
During the 1960s, a vastly different movement emerged within Brazil's Catholic Church: Liberation Theology, rooted in values of social justice and defending the poor. During the Cold War, this was viewed as a threat to U.S. interests, and followers were branded as communists. In archival footage shown in the documentary, Henry Kissinger warns President Nixon that the Catholic Church is no longer an ally in Latin America. The administration worked with a lobbying group called 'The Family' to convert people there to evangelical Christianity. 'Our film uncovered previously unreported material revealing how American evangelical missionaries were sent to Brazil to counteract the influence of Liberation Theology. Since then, Brazil has developed its own version of evangelicalism,' Costa explains.
The country's poor found a home in this Christian movement that preaches the prosperity gospel, believing that church sermons and donations will lead to wealth on Earth. As shown in Apocalypse in the Tropics, evangelical churches in Brazil are plentiful and accessible, often operating out of people's homes, as compared to Catholic churches. The loud, brazen demeanor adopted by many pastors inspires mass trances and a sense of divine supremacy. Wealth is a draw for the rich and poor alike, a capitalist paradise rooted in fervent belief and devotion.
Religion, government, and power
The ambitious Pentecostal pastor and televangelist Malafaia—considered a kingmaker, is among those religious leaders in Brazil who have amassed wealth and celebrity through their sermons. Over the years, he has expanded his influence into politics, building close ties with politicians and endorsing presidential candidates, including the ultra-right-wing Bolsonaro, whom he claims was chosen and anointed by God to lead. Malafaia's support helped him win the presidency in 2019. He went on to support Lula in 2022, though the relationship disintegrated due to vastly differing values. In the documentary, Costa interviews Malafaia, who sometimes veers off into angry rants, especially concerning the country's leftists. He talks about the power evangelical leaders hold in politics and how they can make or break political candidates..
One major reason the incumbent Bolsonaro lost the 2022 election was his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, widely agreed to be a failure stemming from indifference. He ignored scientific consensus and strategies to fight the pandemic in favor of herd immunity, fasting, promises, and prayers, while also spreading conspiracy theories. When asked about Brazil's high death toll (becoming the second-worst-affected country in the world), in the documentary Bolsonaro chillingly responds, 'So what? What am I to do? I'm Messiah but I don't do miracles. Why make people panic when everyone will die?'
Since Bolsonaro is currently ineligible to run for president again until 2030, Christian nationalist leaders, who are closely aligned with the far-right, are seeking a successor in the 2026 general election. 'These leaders have not disappeared, and their caucus is one of the most powerful in Congress,' says Costa. 'To make matters worse, this is also happening at a time when the legislature has essentially robbed the executive branch of much of its power.' In Apocalypse in the Tropics, Congressman and President of the Evangelical Caucus Sóstenes Cavalcante says that the group has grown from 50 members in 2002 to 142 in the Senate. President Lula is dealing with a conservative legislative branch that challenges his leadership and an inability to pass significant reforms, such as increasing taxes on Brazil's wealthiest. 'Taxing Brazil's ultra-wealthy would affect only 50 families and generate an estimated $260 billion USD,' says Costa.
A portrait of more than just Brazil
Costa suggests that one way to understand the chaos of our current era is as 'the hangover from an information revolution.' Just as the printing press sparked upheaval in its time, social media is now causing widespread fallout. Today's algorithms are not 'designed to foster democratic debate, collective decision-making, or the careful building of consensus,' but are crafted for virality, outrage, conflict, and emotional extremes—amplifying divisive messages. 'This makes these spaces particularly fertile ground for religious fundamentalism and other forms of extremism,' Costa explains.
In a scene from a 2018 election rally, Bolsonaro addresses the enraptured crowd, saying, 'If I get there [as president], if it's up to me, every citizen will have a gun at home, there won't be an inch of land for indigenous people and no slavery reparations,' while pretending to shoot at Workers' Party voters from the Brazilian state of Acre with a machine gun.
During his presidency, Bolsonaro and his cabinet members repeatedly hinted at challenging the rule of law against opponents like Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has investigated him several times for illegal disinformation. Another scene where tanks drive through the streets—echoing Brazil's past military coups—Bolsonaro uses the military for protection, supported by his followers whom he encouraged to launch insurrections against perceived injustice. This unrest reached a climax after his defeat in the 2022 general election, when Bolsonaristas stormed the Three Powers Square on Jan. 8, 2023, just days after Lula's inauguration. The ex-president denied his election loss in October, seeking shelter in Florida while stirring discontent among his radicalized supporters. This chilling event, mirroring the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, closes the documentary's final chapter. Trump is now threatening to impose 50 percent tariffs on Brazil if the Supreme Court doesn't drop charges against Bolsonaro for the attempted coup.
While making Apocalypse in the Tropics, it became increasingly clear to Costa that she was not making a film only about Brazil. 'This portrait is not just a reflection of siloed far-right movements. What we are seeing is how fundamentalist movements in different countries are sharing ideas and practices, forming alliances and acquiring immense global impact,' she says.
We are living in divided times, searching for answers amongst the chaos. Amid uncertainty and confusion, people turn to leaders who promise to guide them out of darkness. 'Faced with a population that feels it has lost control of its destiny, whether due to economic globalization, distance from the exercise of power or the force of emerging technologies, the answer offered by the mysticism of the divine is welcomed with fervor and relief at a time of profound earthly uncertainty,' Costa says.