Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

The Edge of Democracy

  • 2019
  • TV-14
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
16K
YOUR RATING
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
1 Video
18 Photos
History DocumentaryPolitical DocumentaryDocumentaryHistory

An exploration into the complex truth behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.An exploration into the complex truth behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.An exploration into the complex truth behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.

  • Director
    • Petra Costa
  • Writers
    • Petra Costa
    • Carol Pires
    • David Barker
  • Stars
    • Dilma Rousseff
    • Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
    • Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    16K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Petra Costa
    • Writers
      • Petra Costa
      • Carol Pires
      • David Barker
    • Stars
      • Dilma Rousseff
      • Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
      • Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva
    • 177User reviews
    • 44Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 6 wins & 16 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:13
    Official Trailer

    Photos17

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top cast62

    Edit
    Dilma Rousseff
    Dilma Rousseff
    • Self - Ex-Presidente
    Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
    Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
    • Self - Ex-Presidente
    • (as Lula da Silva)
    Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva
    • Self - Primeira Dama
    • (as Marisa Letícia)
    Sergio Moro
    Sergio Moro
    • Self - Juiz Federal
    • (as Sérgio Moro)
    Nestor Cerveró
    • Self - Ex-Executivo da Petrobras
    • (archive footage)
    Paulo Roberto Costa
    • Self - Ex-Diretor da Petrobras
    • (archive footage)
    Marcelo Odebrecht
    • Self - Ex-Presidente do Grupo Odebrecht
    • (archive footage)
    Lindbergh Farias
    • Self - Senador (PT)
    • (archive footage)
    Jovair Arantes
    • Self - Relator da Comissão do Impeachment (PTB)
    José Eduardo Cardozo
    • Self - Advogado de Dilma…
    Eduardo Cunha
    Eduardo Cunha
    • Self - Presidente da Câmara dos Deputados (PMDB)
    Carlos Henrique Gaguim
    • Self - Deputado (PTN)
    Paulo Maluf
    • Self - Deputado (PP)
    Roberto Requião
    • Self - Senador (PMDB)
    Jean Wyllys
    • Self - Deputado (PSOL)
    Rodrigo Rollemberg
    • Self - Governador de Brasília (PSB)
    Jair Bolsonaro
    Jair Bolsonaro
    • Self - Deputado (PSC)
    Aécio Neves
    • Self - Senador (PSDB)
    • Director
      • Petra Costa
    • Writers
      • Petra Costa
      • Carol Pires
      • David Barker
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews177

    7.316.2K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Summary

    Reviewers say 'The Edge of Democracy' delves into Brazil's political chaos, highlighting Dilma Rousseff's impeachment and Lula's imprisonment. It is lauded for its emotional depth and historical insights but criticized for bias and selective facts. The film's length and pacing are issues, yet its cinematography and director's passion are praised. It serves as a cautionary tale on democracy's fragility but is divisive due to its one-sided approach.
    AI-generated from the text of user reviews

    Featured reviews

    7thesuf

    Democracy's demise

    This is a such a well made documentary on Brazil's politics. Being non-Brazlian myself, I went into this documentary knowing literally nothing about Brazil's modern political history, aside from hearing the names of Lula and Dilma mentioned in the news occasionally. So this was a very enlightening film for me. My only criticisms are the length of the film, but with the material the makers were running with I seriously doubt they could've shortened it down at all. Also the narrator's hypnotic tone was making it hard to keep focus. All in all, I highly recommend this film not only as an educational experience but also for everyone to realize that we all live in an age where political games are being played against voting publics across the globe, and sadly this is not confined to specific countries anymore. Wishing the people there much prosperity in the years to come.
    biancadearaujonogueira

    Documentary Review

    Documentary extremely important to our perception of democracy and how it has been elitist and oligarchic in Brazil. The Documentary presents facts, and makes us realize how recent history unfortunately tends to follow and perpetuate the old models. It causes reflection on the importance of democratic acts, on the construction of self-opinions, and on how we are still vulnerable to being induced by the medium and a numerically small but great perceive of privileges. My sincerest congratulations to the entire production.
    8fhenrike

    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.
    9adacunhapora

    Another great work by Petra Costa

    Petra Costa is perhaps the best documentary director in Brazil. Her debut is the masterpiece Elena, a very personal look to her sister. The Edge of the Democracy, her third feature, is another kind a monster. A political one, to be exat, in which she narrates the oddly "democratic" impeachment of president Dilma Roussef.

    Costa's talent is to make simple footage (either from stock and original shots) into sheer cinematic strenght. A rare gift, I might add.
    7grifepisode

    Deeply worrying.

    Watching this makes me really worried. The power play in Brazil is a sample of what's going on all over the world with the ignorant bullies who have taken over with their nationalist facade cause. Must watch!

    Best Emmys Moments

    Best Emmys Moments
    Discover nominees and winners, red carpet looks, and more from the Emmys!

    More like this

    Apocalypse in the Tropics
    7.6
    Apocalypse in the Tropics
    Marighella
    7.1
    Marighella
    Elena
    7.5
    Elena
    Olmo & the Seagull
    7.2
    Olmo & the Seagull
    Bacurau
    7.3
    Bacurau
    The Second Mother
    7.8
    The Second Mother
    Olga
    6.5
    Olga
    Undertow Eyes
    5.6
    Undertow Eyes
    Aquarius
    7.4
    Aquarius
    A Bright Future
    7.7
    A Bright Future
    Carandiru
    7.6
    Carandiru
    Central Station
    8.0
    Central Station

    Related interests

    Martin Luther King in I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
    History Documentary
    The Fight (2020)
    Political Documentary
    Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
    Documentary
    Liam Neeson in Schindler's List (1993)
    History

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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 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 picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ16

    • How long is The Edge of Democracy?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 19, 2019 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Brazil
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Netflix
    • Languages
      • Portuguese
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Impeachment
    • Filming locations
      • Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
    • Production companies
      • Busca Vida Filmes
      • Violet Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 1m(121 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.