The Edge of Democracy

20192019
TV-14TV-14
2h 1m

The Edge of Democracy (2019)

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

Play trailer2:13

Documentary History

Political documentary and personal memoir collide in this exploration into the complex truth behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.Political documentary and personal memoir collide in this exploration into the complex truth behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.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)
- Carol Pires
- David Barker
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 15 nominations total

Videos1

Official Trailer

Official Trailer

Photos11

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Dilma Rousseff, and Michel Temer in The Edge of Democracy (2019)

Joanna Natasegara at an event for The IMDb Studio at Sundance (2015)

Joanna Natasegara and Petra Costa at an event for The IMDb Studio at Sundance (2015)

Petra Costa at an event for The IMDb Studio at Sundance (2015)

Joanna Natasegara at an event for The IMDb Studio at Sundance (2015)

Petra Costa at an event for The IMDb Studio at Sundance (2015)

The Edge of Democracy (2019)

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in The Edge of Democracy (2019)

Shane Boris, Joanna Natasegara, Petra Costa, and Tiago Pavan at an event for The Edge of Democracy (2019)

The Edge of Democracy (2019)

Self - Ex-Presidenteas Self - Ex-Presidente

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Self - Ex-Presidenteas Self - Ex-Presidente

Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva

Self - Primeira Damaas Self - Primeira Dama

Self - Juiz Federalas Self - Juiz Federal

Nestor Cerveró

Self - Ex-Executivo da Petrobrasas Self - Ex-Executivo da Petrobras
(archive footage)

Paulo Roberto Costa

Self - Ex-Diretor da Petrobrasas Self - Ex-Diretor da Petrobras
(archive footage)

Marcelo Odebrecht

Self - Ex-Presidente do Grupo Odebrechtas Self - Ex-Presidente do Grupo Odebrecht
(archive footage)

Lindbergh Farias

Self - Senador (PT)as Self - Senador (PT)
(archive footage)

Self - Relator da Comissão do Impeachment (PTB)as Self - Relator da Comissão do Impeachment (PTB)

José Eduardo Cardozo

Self - Advogado de Dilmaas Self - Advogado de Dilma…

Self - Presidente da Câmara dos Deputados (PMDB)as Self - Presidente da Câmara dos Deputados (PMDB)

Carlos Henrique Gaguim

Self - Deputado (PTN)as Self - Deputado (PTN)

Self - Deputado (PP)as Self - Deputado (PP)

Roberto Requião

Self - Senador (PMDB)as Self - Senador (PMDB)

Self - Deputado (PSOL)as Self - Deputado (PSOL)

Rodrigo Rollemberg

Self - Governador de Brasília (PSB)as Self - Governador de Brasília (PSB)

Self - Deputado (PSC)as Self - Deputado (PSC)

Self - Senador (PSDB)as Self - Senador (PSDB)

Director
- Petra Costa
Writers
- Petra Costa(screenplay)
- Carol Pires
- David Barker
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

Lula, the Son of Brazil

4.3

Lula, the Son of Brazil

Emicida: AmarElo - It's All for Yesterday

8.5

Emicida: AmarElo - It's All for Yesterday

The Trial

7.2

Marighella

6.6

American Factory

7.4

American Factory

Bacurau

7.4

The Second Mother

7.8

The Second Mother

A Dog's Will

8.7

Marighella

3.8

Aquarius

7.5

Carandiru

7.6

Bicho de Sete Cabeças

7.7

Bicho de Sete Cabeças

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.

brazilian politics latin american politics reference to jair bolsonaro democracy impeachment 51 more

Taglines
- A cautionary tale of a democracy in crisis
Genres
- Documentary
- History
Certificate
- TV-14
Parents guide

Trivia
Brazil's biggest newspaper, 'Folha de S. Paulo', requested an interview with Lula in prison during the 2018 presidential election campaign. However, Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux (a friend of judge Moro and prosecutor Dallagnol) ruled against the interview taking place, as the team reportedly feared it would ruin Bolsonaro's chances at the election; a decision which was only overturned in April 2019.

Quotes
Petra Costa: A Greek writer said that democracy is only working when the rich feel threatened. Otherwise, oligarchy takes over. From father to son, son to grandson, from grandson to great grandson, and so successively.

Connections
Featured in The Oscars (2020)

Soundtracks
Canto de Ossanha
Written by Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes

Top review

8/10

Great

Haters gonna hate. Some people that are rating with the lowest score (I bet most of them didn't even watched the film) just make the point for the foreign audience of how polarized Brazil it is right now. Petra did a great job by condensed the political situation of the country from the last decade with her personal and also analytical view.

helpful•260

280

fhenrike
Jun 20, 2019

Release date
- June 19, 2019 (United States)
Country of origin
- Brazil
Official site
- Netflix
Languages
- Portuguese
- English
Also known as
- Impeachment
Filming locations
- Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
Production companies
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Runtime
2 hours 1 minute
Color
- Color
Sound mix
- Dolby Digital
Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1

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The Edge of Democracy (2019)

Top Gap

By what name was The Edge of Democracy (2019) officially released in Canada in English?

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