Is Brazil a failed state or is it achieving what it was always designed to do? Since the 1500s, the structure of Brazilian society has been systemically violent. The organised crime and police brutality that ravage the country today are not aberrations but integral to the Brazilian project, argues historian Luiz Antonio Simas.
Brazil is a country rooted in colonialism, slavery and the genocide of indigenous people. Yet these origins have never been properly acknowledged or redressed. Why would they be? The system works incredibly well for a minority elite of construction contractors, bankers and agribusiness owners.
Through interviews with former police chiefs and militia men, “Brazil that Works” looks beyond the role of individuals to uncover the structural roots of the conflict tearing Brazil apart. We witness the dominance of militias across Brazilian society and their entanglement with the state.
A new president will not solve Brazil’s problems; for director Renato Martins, the issue is much broader. “Brazil that Works” exposes the continual failure of all politicians to tackle violent crime. Rather than countering violence with more violence, this film proposes a pact between civil society and the authorities in favour of life – and a Brazil that fails to achieve its goals.
Throughout Brazilian history, countless atrocities have been committed in the name of God.
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Through interviews with both police and militia men, this episode exposes how Brazilian governments have entrenched an approach that increases trafficking while reducing the price of drugs.
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Through personal stories from people on both sides of the conflict and powerful footage, Favela Frontlines takes you straight to the heart of the battle between police and drug traffickers in Brazil.
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