Four years after being nominated for an Oscar for “The Edge of Democracy,” director Petra Costa is back with a new documentary, “Apocalypse in the Tropics,” which examines the current state of Brazilian politics. The film will have its world premiere in the Out of Competition section at the Venice Film Festival .

The film, originally teased as a snapshot of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s infamously poor handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, morphed into a questioning of how democracies blur into theocracies and the role of the country’s growing evangelical movement in Brazil’s recent political turmoil. For perspective, in Brazil, the evangelical population was 5% in the 1980s. Now, it makes up for more than 30%.

“This film builds upon the investigation I started with ‘The Edge of Democracy,’” Costa shared with Variety . Two key scenes in the film were captured during the making of her previous documentary, including the opening scene where evangelists bless Congress and speak in tongues before Dilma Rousseff's impeachment vote in 2016.

“A few days later, I came across a massive gathering called the Prophetic Act, bringing together prominent pastors from Brazil. The event was organized by Silas Malafaia, one of Brazil's most influential televangelists,” Costa explained. “I heard them declare that God would take control of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and cleanse the country of its impurities. It was then that I realized the sentiment I witnessed in Congress wasn't a fringe belief, but a major political force in the country.”

“Apocalypse in the Tropics” follows Malafaia closely over four years, showing his growing influence within the government. Costa gained unprecedented access to this controversial figure, who openly discusses how his counsel shaped Bolsonaro's decisions while enjoying a luxurious lifestyle, including a private plane named “God’s Gift.”

“The intriguing aspect is that when we began filming Malafaia, he was a Bolsonaro ally. However, as the political crisis intensified, Bolsonaro lost many allies, and Malafaia's influence grew significantly,” Costa stated. While the documentary centers on the well-known televangelist, she emphasizes that there are many other pastors in Brazil who hold even greater sway over the country's politics.

The Brazilian director partnered with Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B (“Moonlight,” “12 Years a Slave”), for their first documentary venture. “It was a fantastic experience working with Jeremy Kleiner and Dede Gardner. They come from a background in fictional films and have produced works that explore American politics and history, which I deeply admire. This being their first documentary, their perspective was quite different from seasoned documentary producers, offering a fresh and insightful approach. It was a great combination. The film evolved in ways it wouldn't have otherwise.”

“Apocalypse in the Tropics” makes its festival debut just over two months before the upcoming U.S. presidential elections, a time marked by an increase in religious and conservative voices. “The Edge of Democracy” resonated with American audiences who saw parallels between the political unrest in Brazil and their own country. Costa’s latest film is sure to evoke similar comparisons.

“Since ‘The Edge of Democracy,’ I've noticed that audiences view Brazil as a distorted reflection of what's happening, not just in the United States, but in many parts of the world. It's almost like a cautionary tale. You watch a film about Brazilian politics and feel a sense of unease because we're all experiencing similar democratic crises and challenges to the separation of church and state,” Costa observes, highlighting the commonalities between the two nations.

She points to the “infiltration of what you could call the majority rule.” “People who believe that because they are the majority — and sometimes they may not even be the majority, but they believe they are — they have a right to rule. They think that's democracy, but it's not. Democracy also means protecting the rights of minorities. That's why we have the Supreme Court, which is under attack from these far-right movements.”

When asked how she manages to emotionally protect herself while spending years closely documenting the rise of the far-right movement in Brazil, including the demonstrations by those who call for the return of a military dictatorship, the director credits her “spirituality” as a crucial buffer. “I'm a spiritual person. I wasn't raised in a religious household, but it's a big part of who I am and how I find meaning in life. The theological research that guided me during the filmmaking process was very enriching, spiritually, poetically, and intellectually. I wouldn't have been able to create a film that only focused on the raw reality of the dystopian present we were living in. It was too painful.”