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O Oscar 2020 is coming and, with it, the chance for a Brazilian documentary to come out with the statuette in hand. Yes, we are talking about the controversial documentary by Netflix directed by Petra Costa"Democracy in Vertigem".
The category is one of the most important of the Hollywood awards, although it is not considered one of the main ones (Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay). The Oscars appeared in 1929, but the category made to award the best documentary only debuted in 1941. Currently, it is divided into two: Best Short Documentary and Best Documentary.
The nomination of “Democracy in Vertigo” was a good surprise for Brazilian cinema, which had its hopes in “The Invisible Life“, directed by Karim Aïnouz and with the participation of Fernanda Montenegro, the lady of national dramaturgy.
Just like other Brazilian films in recent years – including “Bingo", one of the best productions of the decade, and even if we think about Fernanda’s performance in “Central do Brasil” – “The Invisible Life” was snubbed by the Academy. The Best Documentary nomination is a victory for the country, which is often looked down upon by Hollywood award committee .
The Brazilian feature in the dispute narrates the impeachment process of former president Dilma Rousseff, pointing out the act as a scapegoat for the so-called coup that aimed to put Michel Temer in power, and in retaliation for Dilma's attitudes by not negotiating with the Chamber and with the Congress. In the context of a coup, the act is seen as a strong blow to the recent Brazilian democracy, since the Military Dictatorship ended in 1985.
But does the documentary have a real chance of taking the statuette home?
What makes a documentary win an Oscar?
Some key points are technical, narrative structure and the way the story is told. Still, there is no formula: after all, it depends on the votes of the Oscar committee for the winner to be chosen.
As with any film in the competition, it is important to point out that a strong campaign in Hollywood is often the definitive factor in getting the statuette, as well as thinking that the film must conform to the committee's standards or to their concept of what it is. a documentary.
The controversies involving “Democracy in Vertigo”
As we are talking about the film, it is impossible not to address the controversies among Brazilians that have been heating up social networks since it was released and much more now, with the documentary in the spotlight of the world of cinema.
PT's love and hate
The main point that generated criticism of the film is the fact that Petra Costa defends and praises former president Lula, showing his impact on the working class and how the former president became a popular icon.
The director appears using Lula stickers when she votes for the first time, in addition to narrating the story from the beginning to what she calls the end of democracy, when the impeachment process of former president Dilma Rousseff takes place, pointed out as a coup, so that Michel Fear came to power.
In a time of political polarization, it is natural that anti-PT and bolsonaristas fiercely criticize the film without even having seen it. Therefore, this polarized reaction towards the documentary is “nothing less than expected”, as this is how Brazil has been since the 2014 elections.
As the Bolsonaro Government mainly sees itself as anti-PT, it immediately tried to criticize and belittle Petra Costa's documentary. Through the official of the Special Secretariat for Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic, the government criticized the director and the documentary:
The disappearance of weapons
One of the other controversies in the film is the digital erasure of the weapons that were implemented in the death scene of journalist Pedro Ventura Felipe de Araújo Pomar (mentor of Petra Costa's parents in the fight against the Military Dictatorship) and Ângelo Arroyo. The two were leaders of the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) and were executed by the Dictatorship on December 16, 1976.
As pointed out by Magazine Piauí, the photo shown in the film appears without a revolver and without a carbine. According to the magazine, the weapons appear in a photograph that is attached to Pomar's death certificate, dated December 27, 1976.
In response to Piauí, in the same article, Petra justified the absence of weapons: “It was widely recognized that the police planted weapons around the bodies of murdered activists, as an excuse for their brutal murders.” In the same interview, the director also said that the Truth Commission itself showed that the weapons were planted after Pedro's death and that, therefore, they decided to remove the weapons to honor the parents' mentor.
Bial's reviews
Presenter Pedro Bial used his space in an interview with Radio Gaucha to fiercely criticize Petra Costa's documentary. He said that the film is “unbearable” and that it “tells things in a crazy way”, even saying that Petra’s narration is “meowing, unbearable, where she keeps whining throughout the entire film”.
Former president Dilma countered the presenter on her Twitter, calling him “misogynist and sexist”:
After all, can “Democracy in Vertigo” win an Oscar?
It is not the first time that Brazil is represented in this category. In fact, before “Democracy in Vertigo”, the feature films “Extraordinary Garbage“, by Lucy Walker, in 2011, and the film “The Salt of the Earth“, by Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, in 2015.
The personal tone of the documentary, by relating the public of the Brazilian political scene with the private life of Petra Costa, gives the film a special touch, which can be a big point in its favor. The direction of photography and exclusive images by Richard Stucker Also: his talent is one of the most impressive technical aspects of “Democracy in Vertigo”.
Stuckert followed the election campaigns of the PT, including that of Fernando Haddad, held in 2018. In addition to working with political photography, he is also known for his portraits and images of indigenous peoples.
Even so, it is important to : we are talking about a Brazilian documentary in the midst of several contestants who talk about war (which is a known favorite topic for Academy voters) and a feature produced by the couple Barack e Michelle Obama – Former President and Former First Lady of the United States.
It is important to that the Oscar victory is also based on the campaign made for the film to win in the United States, since the award “it's not an international film festival, but an extremely local one"- quoting director Bong Joon-ho, from “Parasite”.
Therefore, even though “Democracy in Vertigo” may stand out for its first-person narrative and images that reproduce the political history of the last two decades in the country, the favorite for the category is “American Industry”. After all, just the focus of the Oscars: Hollywood, the American film industry.
The long is the bet of the Time Magazine, which argues that, “once voters see the name 'Obama', they will vote for 'American Industry'.” And I believe that we should have no doubts about that. O New York Times also bet on this film.
Now, just wait for February 9th to find out who will be the big winner. Who are you rooting for at the 2020 Oscars?
