In her Netflix documentary Apocalypse in the Tropics, Brazilian filmmaker Petra Costa explains how a project set in her home country was always intended to be about much more than just one place.
"My intention with this film was never for it to be a story about Brazil, but as a fable of what happens when democracy arose, when religion mixes with politics," says Costa. "And it's amazing the amount of parallels with the United States. It was really uncanny to discover how we have become mirrors to each other."
Petra Costa joins Kim Masters to discuss this follow-up to The Edge of Democracy, her Oscar-nominated 2019 documentary. She explains how what began as a look at Brazil's response to COVID quickly evolved into an examination of how religious fundamentalism (fueled by conspiracy theories and foreign influence) have eroded democracy in her home country. Costa traces the rise and defeat of far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro and talks about the dangers her crew faced while documenting the January 8th attempted coup in Brazil.