• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Second-Half Travels

Adventures of a Forty-Something Cubicle Escapee

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Language Learning
    • French
    • German
    • Portuguese
    • Russian
    • Spanish
  • Destinations
    • Asia
      • Japan
      • Taiwan
    • Europe
      • Baltic Countries
      • England
      • Spain
    • Mexico
    • Morocco
    • South America
      • Brazil
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
  • Travel Tips
  • About
  • Show Search
Hide Search
Best Brazilian Movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime

Best Brazilian Movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime (2020)

Watching Brazilian movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime is a great way to practice Portuguese vocabulary and listening skills. Brazilian films also allow you to learn about the culture and gain exposure to different regional accents and slang.

If you are an intermediate or advanced learner, I recommend watching with Portuguese subtitles if available as studies show it enhances language learning. I also jot down any interesting new vocabulary and add it to my Anki flashcards later.

Here are some of the best Brazilian films on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in the US as of November 2, 2020. If you’re not in the US, just click the title to check if the show is available in your country.

Watch these movies while you can, because content disappears as licensing agreements expire.

Also, don’t miss my list of recommended Brazilian TV shows on Netflix.

Best Brazilian Movies on Netflix Streaming

1. Tudo Bem no Natal Que Vem (Just Another Christmas)

Tudo Bem no Natal que Vem | Trailer | Netflix Brasil

Cute Christmas comedy filmed in Rio. Stuck in a time loop where it’s forever Christmas, a family man who hates the holiday learns lessons about what’s important in life.

2. Aquarius (2016)

Aquarius Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Sonia Braga Movie

A beautiful meditation on aging, memory, and intimacy. Sônia Braga delivers a magnetic performance as Clara, a retired writer and widow who’s the final holdout in her historic beachside building in Recife.

Tensions ratchet up as greedy developers bent on demolition try to bully Clara into selling her cherished apartment.

3. Modo Avião (Airplane Mode) (2020)

MODO AVIÃO | TRAILER OFICIAL | NETFLIX

Note: No English subtitles available. Click to watch trailer on Netflix.

This charming rom-com is the most popular non-English movie produced by Netflix so far.

Brazilian actress and Instagram mega-star Larissa Manoela stars as Ana, a young social media influencer addicted to her smartphone. When she crashes her car while using her phone, Ana’s shipped to her grumpy grandfather’s farm in the country and forced into a digital detox.

Sweetly predictable, with easy-to-understand dialogue. Filmed in the city of São Paulo and the picturesque town of São Bento do Sapucaí in São Paulo state.

4. Emicida: AmarElo – É Tudo Pra Ontem (AmarElo – It’s All For Yesterday)

AmarElo - É Tudo Pra Ontem | Trailer oficial | Netflix

This compelling documentary features São Paulo MC Emicida’s performance at the city’s gorgeous Theatro Municipal.

Between concert scenes, the rapper and activist celebrates the rich legacy of black Brazilian culture.

5. Democracia en Vertigem (The Edge of Democracy) (2019)

The Edge of Democracy | Official Trailer | Netflix

Political documentary and personal memoir collide in this poetic exploration by filmmaker Petra Costa.

Insider footage provides unprecedented access to the downfall of presidents Dilma Rousseff and Lula da Silva and the erosion of Brazilian democracy.

I especially loved the mesmerizing aerial shots of Brasília, the nation’s capital.

6. Cidade Pássaro (Shine Your Eyes)

Lyrical tour de force by Brazilian filmmaker Matias Mariani.

Amadi, a musician from Lagos, Nigeria, arrives in São Paulo to track down his estranged brother, who is living a life very different than the one his family thought.

Fascinating portrait of the lives of African diaspora in the high-rise canyons of São Paulo.

This multicultural film features dialogue in Igbo (a national language of Nigeria), English, Portuguese, Hungarian, and even Chinese.

7. Operações Especiais (2015)

Operações Especiais - Trailer Oficial

In a crime-plagued area of Rio de Janeiro, a team of honest cops, including a determined rookie, fights corruption and mistrust on all sides.

8. Cidade de Deus: 10 Anos Depois (City of God: 10 Years Later) (2013)

TRAILER - CITY OF GOD - 10 Years Later (Cidade de Deus - 10 anos depois)

Fans of the seminal Cidade de Deus shouldn’t miss this fascinating documentary that reunites some of the cast and crew to find out the paths their lives took after the film’s worldwide success.

9. Elena (2012)

Elena - Official Trailer

In this moving, dreamlike documentary, Petra Costa, who also directed The Edge of Democracy, remembers her older sister, Elena, who left her life behind under Brazil’s dictatorship and moved to New York with dreams of becoming an actress.

A melancholy film about longing, grief, and memory.

10. O Matador (The Killer) (2017)

The Killer | Trailer [HD] | Netflix

This excellent but extremely violent Brazilian Western tells the story of Cabeleira (Shaggy), a savage killer from the barren sertão of Pernambuco state in the 1910s to 1940s.

Cabeleira, raised by a local cangaceiro (bandit) who found him as an abandoned baby, grows up in the wilderness, completely isolated from civilization. Cabeleira’s search for his lost father leads him back to civilization, but he cannot escape the legacy of his violent past.

Characters speak with heavy Northeastern accents.

11. Jonas (2015)

During Carnival in São Paulo, a young man and woman from different social classes who knew each other as children meet again after many years.

On the day of the festival, Jonas kidnaps Branca in order to keep them both safe from his boss. Hiding inside the whale, the main float for the Carnival parade, the two reconnect and make choices that will affect their lives forever.

12. Paraíso Perdido (Paradise Lost) (2018)

PARAISO PERDIDO | Trailer Oficial

A cop moonlights as the bodyguard for a young drag queen at a nightclub, and grows closer to the family of misfit singers that perform there.

This thoughtful film featuring musician Seu Jorge also includes subtitled dialogue in Brazilian Sign Language, Língua Brasileira de Sinais or LIBRAS.

Best Brazilian Movies on Amazon Prime

All the Brazilian films on this list are available to stream free for Prime members. Amazon Prime Video search by language or country is pretty terrible, so I have done the hard work for you. 🙂

I hope you love my Brazilian movie recommendations! Just so you know, I may get a small commission from any purchases made using Amazon links on this page at no extra cost to you.

Don’t have Amazon Prime yet? To watch these movies, click here to start your 30-day free trial.

1. Que Horas Ela Volta? (The Second Mother)

The Second Mother - Official Trailer-Oscilloscope Laboratories

Touching, realistic portrayal of class divides in Brazil.

The longtime housekeeper for a wealthy São Paulo family, Val is committed to loyalty and respect. But her values and the dynamic of the whole household are challenged when her teen daughter visits.

Selected as the Brazilian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards.

2. Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad)

Elite Squad - Trailer 1

If you liked Cidade de Deus, don’t miss this gritty action-thriller that became a cultural phenomenon in Brazil.

Warner Moura stars as a captain in the elite BOPE squad, a paramilitary police commando force, in this brutal tale of corrupt cops and drug dealers in the slums of Rio.

The film is based on the book of the same name by sociologist Luiz Eduardo Soares and two former BOPE captains.

Unfortunately, this film seems to come and go frequently from free Prime streaming, so if you don’t find it available, try adding it to your watchlist and checking back later. You can also buy it here.

3. Tropa de Elite 2 – O Inimigo Agora é Outro (Elite Squad: The Enemy Within)

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (Official Trailer)

Note: Available free on Amazon with ads, or rent it here.

Tropa de Elite‘s hugely popular sequel is a bleak exposé of corruption and crime in Brazil often considered superior to the original.

The action picks up 13 years after the end of the first film. After a deadly prison riot, Captain Nascimento is promoted to a powerful new post and swept into a bloody political dispute that involves government officials and paramilitary groups.

This fast-paced, violent action thriller is the highest-grossing film of all time in Brazil.

4. A Vida Invisível (Invisible Life)

Invisible Life - Official Trailer | Amazon Studios

Haunting tropical melodrama set in 1950s Rio.

Eurídice and Guida are two inseparable sisters living with their conservative parents. Each one nourishes a dream: Eurídice of becoming a renowned pianist, Guida of finding true love

In a dramatic turn, they are separated by their father and forced to live apart. They take control of their separate destinies, while never giving up hope of finding each other.

Starring Julia Stockler, Carol Duarte, Gregório Duvivier of Porta dos Fundos fame, and Fernanda Montenegro. By the director of Madame Satã.

Based on the Brazilian novel “A Vida Invisível de Eurídice Gusmão” by Martha Batalha.

Brazil’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2020 Academy Awards.

5. Sonhos Roubados (Stolen Dreams)

SONHOS ROUBADOS Trailer Oficial

Note: No English subtitles available

Moving and surprisingly sweet coming-of-age tale of three teenage girls fighting for their dreams in a favela of Rio de Janeiro.

This award-winning film by director Sandra Werneck features great performances and provides a realistic look at the dilemmas faced by these young women, while celebrating their joy, solidarity, and friendship.

Also stars Rio rapper MV Bill, known for his street-level activism helping kids and combating violence in the favela Cidade de Deus where he lives.

Based on the book “Corner Girls – A Diary about the Dreams, Trials and Adventures of Six Adolescents in Brazil,” by journalist Eliane Trindade, who spent two years documenting the lives of six teenage girls trying to achieve their dreams despite having to prostitute themselves to make ends meet.

6. Vermelho Russo (Russian Red)


Inspired by the diary of actress Martha Nowill, this first-ever Brazilian-Russian film co-production follows two young Brazilian actresses in Moscow studying the Stanislavski method.

This engaging documentary-style film depicts the inner journey of a group of foreigners in a culture extremely different from theirs.

7. Gringo Favelado

It’s about half in English, but this fascinating and moving documentary explores life in Rio’s poverty-stricken favelas through the eyes of three British expats who decided to call them home.

8. Além dos sonhos (Beyond Dreams)

Inspiring documentary about Brazilian mountaineer Roman Romancini, who overcomes cancer and a car accident to take on the most challenging expedition of his life: climbing Mount Everest.

9. Luz, câmera, pichação (Lights, Camera, Pichação)

Luz, Câmera, PICHAÇÃO - Light, Camera, PICHAÇÃO - Trailer 4

Pichação, or tagging, is a common sight in the Southeastern metropolises of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Pichadores often compete to leave their spray-painted signatures in the highest and most inaccessible locations.

For many, pichação is vandalism. This Brazilian documentary follows some pichadores and gives them a voice, revealing their methods, personal stories, and beliefs.

10. Sequestro 

Sequestro | Trailer | Available now

Enter the raw and gritty world of São Paulo’s kidnapping epidemic, following a film crew as they ride alongside special police units over four years.

A chilling look at the trauma suffered by kidnap victims and their families, as well as the tremendous pressure facing the police investigating these crimes.

11. Se Deus Vier Que Venha Armado (If God Comes, Let Him Bring a Gun)

SE DEUS VIER QUE VENHA ARMADO ( IF GOD COMES LET HIM BRING A GUN )

Set over 72 hours at the height of the 2012 attacks and counterattacks between military police and organized crime in São Paulo, the lives of five people collide: a young man on leave from prison, his straitlaced brother, his best friend, a rookie cop, and a young actress.

12. O Outro Lado do Cartão-Postal (The Other Side of the Postcard)

O Outro Lado do Cartão Postal Trailer

This social documentary looks beyond the postcard image of Rio to its often misrepresented darker side.

The Favela Pacification Program was launched in 2008 to reduce crime and drug trafficking in Rio de Janeiro. In April 2015, however, police shot and killed 10-year old Eduardo. The program had become the very thing it was designed to destroy.

13. 2 Coelhos (Two Rabbits)

DOIS COELHOS TRAILER (English Subtitles)

Note: Available free on Amazon with an XLTV channel trial.

This adrenaline-fueled action thriller features lots of slick visual effects, animations, and pop culture references.

Enjoyable despite an overly tangled plot involving gangsters and corrupt politicians.

More Amazon Prime Brazilian Films

  • Too Black for TV – Thought-provoking eight-minute short about Nayara Justino, the first black Brazilian to be crowned Globeleza carnival queen in 2013. After a public backlash over her skin color, she was dethroned and replaced by a light-skinned woman.

Famous Brazilian Movies on Netflix DVD

Subscribers to Netflix’s DVD service may be dwindling, but for movie buffs it remains a good way to access a large catalog of mostly older films. If you have a DVD subscription, don’t miss these classic Brazilian films.

These films can also likely be found at your local library or even on YouTube.

1. Cidade de Deus (City of God)

City of God (2002) Official Trailer - Crime Drama HD

A cult classic that periodically appears and disappears from Netflix’s streaming catalog. This unforgettable drama received four Oscar nominations and made Film4’s “50 Films to See Before You Die.”

Set in a lawless slum, Cidade de Deus tells the story of a boy called Buscapé (Rocket) who able to avoid being drawn into a life of drugs and crime by having a passion for photography.

Also available for rental on Amazon Prime Video.

2. Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus)

Black Orpheus (1959, trailer, Portuguese Audio)

Note: No English subtitles available

This superb retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice Greek legend is set against Rio de Janeiro’s madness during Carnival. Black Orpheus earned an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Also available for rental on Amazon Prime Video.

3. Central do Brasil (Central Station)

Central Station Trailer 1998

Dora (Fernanda Montenegro), who writes letters for illiterate people at Rio de Janeiro’s central railroad station, feels compelled to help 9-year-old Josué locate his estranged father after the child’s mother dies in a car accident.

This Oscar-nominated drama follows Dora and the boy on their journey to Brazil’s remote Northeast.

4. Cidade dos Homens (City of Men)

City of Men (2007) Official Trailer - Paulo Morelli Movie HD

In this follow-up to Cidade de Deus, 18-year-old best friends Acerola and Laranjinha are struggling to come to terms with the pressures of manhood in the midst of a bloody neighborhood gang war.

Also available for rental on Amazon Prime Video.

5. Cidade Baixa (Lower City)

Lower City (2005) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD]

Sensual tale with great performances set in gorgeous, gritty Salvador starring Alice Braga and Wagner Moura.

When two childhood friends become entangled in a steamy love triangle with an exotic dancer, the resulting jealous battle threatens to destroy them.

Even More Top Brazilian Movies

Sadly, Netflix’s DVD catalog is constantly shrinking, and some really excellent Brazilian films are not available. Look for these gems at your local library or on YouTube.

Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco (1981)

Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco Trailer

Heartbreaking tale of Pixote, a street kid who becomes enmeshed in an underworld of drugs and violence. This chilling portrayal of children reduced to theft and prostitution to survive was filmed on the streets of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Tragically, the illiterate 11-year-old who plays Pixote was killed in a shoot-out by police a few years later.

O Auto da Compadecida (A Dog’s Will) (2000)

O AUTO DA COMPADECIDA 2000 Trailer

Note: No English subtitles available for trailer

This Brazilian box-office sensation based on a play follows the fanciful misadventures of two friends in an impoverished region of Northeast Brazil who have to use their wits to survive.

Their schemes eventually land them on trial being judged by the Devil, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary (played by the excellent Fernanda Montenegro).

Bye Bye Brasil (1980)

Bye Bye Brazil (1980) - Cheezy Flicks Trailer

Internationally popular road movie that follows a ragtag circus troupe crawling from small town to small town through the Brazilian backwaters.

This gentle ode to the past features stunning visuals and some great performances.

Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos (Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands) (1976)

Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos | Trailer Oficial

Note: No English subtitles available for trailer

Based on the novel of the same name by Jorge Amado, this fanciful Brazilian comedy takes place in 1940s Bahia. Dona Flor (Sonia Braga) is a young woman who weds a handsome ne’er-do-well.

When he suddenly dies, she marries a respectable but dull pharmacist, but soon finds herself longing for hubby No. 1. Next thing you know, his ghost appears.

O Que é Isso, Companheiro? (Four Days in September) (1997)

Four days in september trailer

Note: No English subtitles available for trailer

Based on a moving true story, a group of young idealists plans a terrorist act — their only perceived means of voicing their dreams and visions in a military regime — in this account of the 1969 kidnapping of the American ambassador to Brazil.

Some dialogue in English.

You may also like:

  • Great Brazilian TV Shows on Netflix
  • Top Portuguese Podcasts for Language Learners
  • How to Learn Brazilian Portuguese Through Self-Study
  • Best YouTube Channels for Learning Brazilian Portuguese
  • Study Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro
  • Good Books in Portuguese

Have feedback on these best movies from Brazil or more Amazon Prime or Netflix Brazilian film recommendations? Please share your thoughts in the comments.


Banner image from the movie O Roubo da Taça (sadly no longer on Netflix) © 2016 by Caito Ortiz – Agência Pressphoto

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Related

Ingrid

October 27, 2018 by Ingrid 2 Comments

Ingrid

About Ingrid

Ingrid left software engineering at age 43 to devote herself to language learning and travel. Her goal is to speak seven languages fluently. Currently, she speaks English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, and is learning Russian.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarRicardo H Tabone

    September 25, 2020 at 7:37 pm

    Ingrid, obrigado por postar estas ótimas listas!
    Eu sou professor na Carleton University em Ottawa e vou seguir as suas recomendaçoes!

    Reply
    • IngridIngrid

      September 27, 2020 at 7:37 am

      Fico feliz que seja útil pra você, Ricardo!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Popular Posts

  • 48 Best Spanish TV Shows on Netflix (2021)
    48 Best Spanish TV Shows on Netflix (2021)
  • 30 Best Spanish Movies on Netflix (2021)
    30 Best Spanish Movies on Netflix (2021)
  • Best French Series on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu (2021)
    Best French Series on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu (2021)
  • Best German TV Shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime (2020)
    Best German TV Shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime (2020)
  • Best Russian TV Shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime (2021)
    Best Russian TV Shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime (2021)

Get Email Updates

Footer

Copyright © 2021 · All Rights Reserved · Second-Half Travels

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy