Review: 'Apocalypse In The Tropics'

Petra Costa did not produce her documentary in hopes that viewers in America would see a reflection of this country in her recounting of the impact that a melding of evangelical Christianity had on Brazil. But U.S. viewers will find much of the story resonates a lot stronger than it might have a year or two ago.

By some estimates, the percentage of Brazilians who self-identify as evangelical Christians has grown over the past 40 years from around 5% to more than 30%. That increase has had a profound impact on Brazilian society and its political landscape.

The documentary is centered on Pentecostal televangelist and celebrity Silas Malafaia, whose influence on his followers and ability to marshal the rich and important to his causes helped make the rise of former President Jair Bolsonaro possible. His support implied that somehow Bolsonaro was God's chosen one and that supporting him wasn't just a political choice, it was implicitly following the will of God.



As we've seen in the United States, Brazilian religious leaders such as Malafaia were willing to lend their public support to politicians such as Bolsonaro in exchange for access to political power and promises of making evangelical Christianity a central part of Brazilian society. To many of Bolsonaro's supporters, the evolution of Brazil from a Democracy to a Theocracy was a goal. And it was a goal that seemed increasingly in reach.

And in the same way that evangelical Christians in America embraced Donald Trump and proclaimed him as "the one God chose to save America," Malafaia and others in Brazil embraced Bolsonaro and defended him, even as the country began to turn against him.

That defense has complicated Bolsonaro's electoral battle with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and many evangelical Christians continue to believe Bolsonaro was somehow unfairly targeted by opponents driven by some evil force. And it is probably not a coincidence that 

Apocalypse In The Tropics is both a compelling story about a country and its politics that might be unfamiliar to people outside the country. But the events are also a warning to other countries as the walls between church and state continue to fall.

And as this documentary shows, the weakening of those walls almost never ends well for Christians or for the country.

Apocalypse In The Tropics premieres Monday, February 14th on Netflix.