The Edge of Democracy (2019)

Political documentary and personal memoir collide in this exploration into the complex truth behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.

Director:

Petra Costa

Writers:

Petra Costa (screenplay), Daniela Capelato (script collaboration)

Stars:

Dilma Rousseff, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dilma Rousseff	...	Herself - Ex-Presidente
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva	...	Himself - Ex-Presidente (as Lula da Silva)
Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva	...	Herself - Primeira Dama (as Marisa Letícia)
Sergio Moro	...	Himself - Juiz Federal (as Sérgio Moro)
Nestor Cerveró	...	Himself - Ex-Executivo da Petrobras (archive footage)
Paulo Roberto Costa	...	Himself - Ex-Diretor da Petrobras (archive footage)
Marcelo Odebrecht	...	Himself - Ex-Presidente do Grupo Odebrecht (archive footage)
Lindbergh Farias	...	Himself - Senador (PT) (archive footage)
Jovair Arantes	...	Himself - Relator da Comissão do Impeachment (PTB)
José Eduardo Cardozo	...	Himself - Advogado de Dilma / Ex-Ministro da Justiça
Eduardo Cunha	...	Himself - Presidente da Câmara dos Deputados (PMDB)
Carlos Henrique Gaguim	...	Himself - Deputado (PTN)
Paulo Maluf	...	Himself - Deputado (PP)
Roberto Requião	...	Himself - Senador (PMDB)
Jean Wyllys	...	Himself - Deputado (PSOL)

Storyline

A cautionary tale for these times of democracy in crisis, the personal and political fuse in The Edge of Democracy to explore one of the most dramatic periods in Brazilian history. Combining unprecedented access to Presidents Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff with accounts of her own family's complex political and industrial past, filmmaker Petra Costa (Elena, 2012) witnesses their rise and fall and the tragically polarized nation that remains.

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Plot Keywords:

democracy | impeachment | brazilian politics | lula | jair bolsonaro | 

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Taglines:

I fear our democracy was nothing but a short-lived dream

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

Brazil

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

19 June 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Impeachment

Company Credits

Production Co:

Busca Vida Filmes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michel Temer became president in August 2016 after President Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed from office, and his term ended on January 1, 2019, when President Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in. His administration was clouded by corruption allegations, though lawmakers refused to authorize his prosecution (in Brazil, the prosecution of a sitting president requires a vote of Congress). On March 2019 he was arrested but was released 5 days later after an order from a federal judge as he "doesn't pose a risk to the investigation into the charges".

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Connections

Features Junho: O Mês que Abalou o Brasil (2014)

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Soundtracks

Canto de Ossanha
Written by Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes

User Reviews

A one-sided argument

If one doesn't know anything about the political situation in Brazil at the moment one might go away with a very biased opinion.

The director brushes off and raises no questions about PT's misdemeanours. It's not a documentary but propaganda.