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The title isn’t intended ironically in “The Best Mother in the World” — at least not to the extent it is in, say, “The Worst Person in the World.” But there’s a truism embedded in its hyperbole: Most people on good terms with their mother would describe her as the world’s greatest, regardless of any flaws and errors along the way. The two young children of Gal (Shirley Cruz), the endlessly put-upon protagonist of Brazilian writer-director Anna Muylaert’s new film, believe as much, their devotion only strengthened as the script puts them collectively through the wringer. Conscientiously addressing a national crisis of domestic abuse while also lunging for the heartstrings, the film is an uneven balance of grainy social realism and crowd-pleasing uplift, but Cruz’s resolute performance just about holds it together.

Muylaert remains best known for her 2015 feature “The Second Mother,” a Sundance prizewinner that...

Netflix has lifted the lid on a quartet of new movies out of Brazil.

The four projects are all in production and the streamer, keen to underscore its contribution to Brazilian cinema and the local production biz, was quick to note they are filming across four Brazilian states.

Rafael Vitti and canine star Amendoim will appear in Caramelo, billed as a heartwarming drama that pays tribute to a Brazilian cultural symbol, the stray mutt. Filmed in São Paulo, the story follows Pedro, an ambitious chef whose life is upended by unexpected diagnosis. With the help of a stray four-legged friend, he embarks on an emotional journey.

Migdal Filmes is producing, its first partnership with Netflix. Diego Freitas, who created the idea, directs.

There will also be an adaptation of Valter Hugo Mãe’s novel The Son of a Thousand Men hitting Netflix screens. Starring Rodrigo Santoro in the lead role,...