The Brazilian presidential election on 30 October 2022 ended with a victory for former president Lula da Silva, who managed to beat the incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro by a tiny margin. Lula’s supporters celebrated the victory as the salvation of democracy, but those who voted for his far-right rival candidate were convinced the election was stolen. On 8 January 2023, shortly after Lula’s inauguration, they stormed the Congress building and the Supreme Court.
Shot in the turbulent period that preceded these events, with two tense rounds of voting, this documentary by Sandra Kogut shows a country torn apart. She records the experiences of supporters of both candidates, from those who campaigned for Lula to a truck driver who was considering leaving Brazil if Lula won. She filmed the demonstrations, the work behind the scenes, the prayers in church.
Increasingly we gain an impression of two parallel worlds unable to see each other. While poll workers take voting machines to the remotest corners of the country, Bolsonaro spreads disinformation about electronic voting. And the mood of fear and menace intensifies.
Stills
