Top 100 - Brazil
by dziwnytenswiat | created - 14 Mar 2013 | updated - 05 Apr 2023 | PublicAll Feature Films from Brazil I have seen so far. Not yet 100, but who knows...
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1. City of God (2002)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama
In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.
Directors: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund | Stars: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Matheus Nachtergaele, Phellipe Haagensen
Votes: 800,723 | Gross: $7.56M
2. The Given Word (1962)
98 min | Drama
A simple yet devout Christian makes a vow to Saint Barbara after she saves his donkey, but everyone he meets seems determined to misunderstand his intentions. Will he be able to keep his promise in the end?
Director: Anselmo Duarte | Stars: Leonardo Villar, Glória Menezes, Dionísio Azevedo, Geraldo Del Rey
Votes: 3,936
3. Elite Squad (2007)
R | 115 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In 1997 Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento has to find a substitute for his position while trying to take down drug dealers and criminals before the Pope visits.
Director: José Padilha | Stars: Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira, Milhem Cortaz
Votes: 110,226 | Gross: $0.01M
4. Pixote (1980)
TV-MA | 128 min | Crime, Drama
The life of a boy on the streets of Sao Paulo, involved with crimes, prostitution, and drugs.
Director: Hector Babenco | Stars: Fernando Ramos da Silva, Jorge Julião, Gilberto Moura, Edilson Lino
Votes: 9,230
5. Assault on the Pay Train (1962)
102 min | Crime, Drama
Film about the true events in Rio de Janeiro, in 1960, when a gang having the infamous outlaw Tião Medonho as a leader performed a sensational railroad hold-up on a train carrying a small fortune.
Director: Roberto Farias | Stars: Eliezer Gomes, Reginaldo Faria, Jorge Dória, Átila Iório
Votes: 853
6. Carandiru (2003)
R | 145 min | Crime, Drama
Stories of crime, revenge, love, and friendship at the Carandiru Penitentiary, the largest prison in Latin America.
Director: Hector Babenco | Stars: Enrique Diaz, Wagner Moura, Caio Blat, Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos
Votes: 21,921 | Gross: $0.21M
7. The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (2006)
PG | 110 min | Drama
A boy is left alone in a Jewish neighborhood in 1970, when the World Cup coincides with political crackdowns by the military dictatorship.
Director: Cao Hamburger | Stars: Michel Joelsas, Germano Haiut, Daniela Piepszyk, Paulo Autran
Votes: 6,656 | Gross: $0.76M
8. Black God, White Devil (1964)
Not Rated | 120 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
After killing his employer when he tries to cheat him out of his payment, a man becomes an outlaw and starts following a self-proclaimed saint.
Director: Glauber Rocha | Stars: Geraldo Del Rey, Yoná Magalhães, Othon Bastos, Maurício do Valle
Votes: 5,353
9. The Other Side of the Street (2004)
98 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A retired woman spends her days snooping everybody in her neighborhood as a police informant. When she thinks she sees a man murder a woman, but the death is seen as natural by the police, she decides to prove she was right.
Director: Marcos Bernstein | Stars: Fernanda Montenegro, Raul Cortez, Laura Cardoso, Luiz Carlos Persy
Votes: 996
10. They Don't Wear Black Tie (1981)
120 min | Drama
Union leader's son doesn't want to engage in a strike, because his wife is pregnant, thus disregarding his father's tradition of political activism.
Director: Leon Hirszman | Stars: Gianfrancesco Guarnieri, Fernanda Montenegro, Carlos Alberto Riccelli, Bete Mendes
Votes: 1,820
11. The Boy and the Wind (1967)
104 min | Drama, Mystery
Young engineer on holiday gets involved with a boy having a strange relationship with the wind. Their close friendship arouses suspicion in the small town. When the boy disappears, the engineer is accused of murdering him. But the wind...
Director: Carlos Hugo Christensen | Stars: Ênio Gonçalves, Luiz Fernando Ianelli, Wilma Henriques, Odilon Azevedo
Votes: 201
12. The Second Mother (2015)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama
When the estranged daughter of a hard-working live-in housekeeper suddenly appears, the unspoken class barriers that exist within the home are thrown into disarray.
Director: Anna Muylaert | Stars: Regina Casé, Helena Albergaria, Michel Joelsas, Camila Márdila
Votes: 16,710 | Gross: $0.38M
13. Men and Women (1964)
93 min | Drama
Two friends take two prostitutes for a night of pleasure. But the night turns out to be frustrating for all involved, as much bitterness is revealed in their conversation and attitudes, ... See full summary »
Director: Walter Hugo Khouri | Stars: Norma Bengell, Odete Lara, Mário Benvenutti, Gabriele Tinti
Votes: 641
14. Barren Lives (1963)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama
A poor family in the Northeast of Brazil (Fabiano, the father; Sinhá Vitória, the mother; their 2 children and a dog called Baleia) wander about the barren land searching for a better place... See full summary »
Director: Nelson Pereira dos Santos | Stars: Átila Iório, Maria Ribeiro, Orlando Macedo, Jofre Soares
Votes: 2,909
15. Entranced Earth (1967)
111 min | Drama
In the fictional Latin American country Eldorado, a poet tries to effect political change by influencing powerful men.
Director: Glauber Rocha | Stars: Jardel Filho, Paulo Autran, José Lewgoy, Glauce Rocha
Votes: 3,579
16. The Turning Wind (1962)
78 min | Drama
In the State of Bahia, Brazil, an educated black man returns to his home fishing village to try and free people from mysticism, in particular the Candomblé religion, which he considers a factor of political and social oppression.
Director: Glauber Rocha | Stars: Antonio Pitanga, Luiza Maranhão, Lucy de Carvalho, Aldo Teixeira
Votes: 850
17. City of Men (2007)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama
Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers' pasts which will shatter their solid friendship, in the middle of a war between rival drug gangs from Rio's favelas.
Director: Paulo Morelli | Stars: Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha, Jonathan Haagensen, Rodrigo dos Santos
Votes: 16,295 | Gross: $0.31M
18. The Hustlers (1962)
100 min | Crime, Drama
This film captures the criminal behavior of two young Copacabana thugs (the "cafajestes"). The two plan a blackmail coup against a rich old man, using nude pictures of a lady on a deserted beach. But things don't always happen as planned.
Director: Ruy Guerra | Stars: Norma Bengell, Hugo Carvana, Lucy de Carvalho, Germana de Lamare
Votes: 552
19. Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (1976)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
In a small city of Brazil, a woman named Flor marries a man named Vadinho, but once married she finds that he is a good-for-nothing. She works teaching cooking and he takes all of her money... See full summary »
Director: Bruno Barreto | Stars: Sonia Braga, José Wilker, Mauro Mendonça, Dinorah Brillanti
Votes: 3,321
20. Reaching for the Moon (2013)
Not Rated | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History
A chronicle of the tragic love affair between American poet Elizabeth Bishop and Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares.
Director: Bruno Barreto | Stars: Glória Pires, Miranda Otto, Tracy Middendorf, Marcello Airoldi
Votes: 3,569 | Gross: $0.04M
21. Don't Call Me Son (2016)
Unrated | 82 min | Drama
After discovering the truth about being stolen by the woman he thought was his mother as a child, Pierre (AKA Felipe) must deal with the consequences of his mother's actions and must try to cope with his biological family.
Director: Anna Muylaert | Stars: Naomi Nero, Daniel Botelho, Dani Nefussi, Matheus Nachtergaele
Votes: 1,569 | Gross: $0.01M
22. Invisible Life (2019)
R | 139 min | Drama
Kept apart by a terrible lie and a conservative society, two sisters born in Rio de Janeiro make their way through life each believing the other is living out her dreams half a world away.
Director: Karim Aïnouz | Stars: Julia Stockler, Carol Duarte, Flávia Gusmão, António Fonseca
Votes: 9,650
23. Behind the Sun (2001)
PG-13 | 105 min | Drama
When ordered by his father to avenge the death of his older brother, a young man questions the tradition of violence between two rival families.
Director: Walter Salles | Stars: José Dumont, Rodrigo Santoro, Rita Assemany, Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos
Votes: 7,402 | Gross: $0.06M
24. Black Orpheus (1959)
PG | 100 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro.
Director: Marcel Camus | Stars: Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, Lourdes de Oliveira, Léa Garcia
Votes: 12,249
25. Four Days in September (1997)
R | 110 min | Action, Drama, History
Brazillian urban guerrilla fighters kidnap the American Ambassador. Now, the diplomat's life hangs in the balance - helplessly caught between a government unwilling to cooperate - and his fear of the captors themselves.
Director: Bruno Barreto | Stars: Alan Arkin, Pedro Cardoso, Fernanda Torres, Luiz Fernando Guimarães
Votes: 5,363 | Gross: $0.31M
26. Bacurau (2019)
Not Rated | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After the death of her grandmother, Teresa comes home to her matriarchal village in a near-future Brazil to find a succession of sinister events that mobilizes all of its residents.
Directors: Juliano Dornelles, Kleber Mendonça Filho | Stars: Bárbara Colen, Thomas Aquino, Silvero Pereira, Thardelly Lima
Votes: 30,681
27. The Priest and the Girl (1966)
90 min | Drama
In a small town in Minas Gerais, the arrival of a young priest causes a commotion in the conservative atmosphere of the place, aggravated by the sudden attraction this priest feels for a ... See full summary »
Director: Joaquim Pedro de Andrade | Stars: Helena Ignez, Paulo José, Mário Lago, Fauzi Arap
Votes: 496
28. Hour of the Star (1985)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama
Macabea has just moved to the big city after her aunt, who raised her, died. She gets a job as a typist and moves into a boarding house with three other women. In her spare time she listens... See full summary »
Director: Suzana Amaral | Stars: Marcelia Cartaxo, José Dumont, Tamara Taxman, Fernanda Montenegro
Votes: 1,437
29. Estranho Encontro (1958)
87 min | Crime
Two pairs of mismatched lovers wind up in a dangerous situation when the younger partners of each relationship meet by accident.
Director: Walter Hugo Khouri | Stars: Mário Sérgio, Andrea Bayard, Lola Brah, Luigi Picchi
Votes: 111
30. Araby (2017)
97 min | Drama
Andre is a young boy that lives in an industrial neighborhood in Ouro Preto, Brazil, near an old aluminum factory. One day he finds a notebook from one of the factory workers.
Directors: João Dumans, Affonso Uchoa | Stars: Aristides de Sousa, Murilo Caliari, Gláucia Vandeveld, Renata Cabral
Votes: 1,337 | Gross: $0.04M
31. My Sweet Orange Tree (2012)
99 min | Drama, Family
My Sweet Orange Tree begins with José Mauro de Vasconcelos (Caco Ciocler) receiving an edition of his finished novel. Then, the film starts to tell the story from the writer's memories, ... See full summary »
Director: Marcos Bernstein | Stars: João Guilherme, José de Abreu, Caco Ciocler, Eduardo Dascar
Votes: 1,466
32. 7 Prisoners (2021)
R | 93 min | Crime, Drama
To provide a better life for his family in the country, 18-year-old Mateus accepts a job in a junkyard in São Paulo for his new boss, Luca, but becomes trapped in the dangerous world of human trafficking.
Director: Alexandre Moratto | Stars: Christian Malheiros, Rodrigo Santoro, Lucas Oranmian, Vitor Julian
Votes: 9,210
33. Limit (1931)
Not Rated | 114 min | Drama, Romance
Three people (Raul Schnoor, Olga Breno and Tatiana Rey) sail aimlessly while remembering their past.
Director: Mario Peixoto | Stars: Olga Breno, Tatiana Rey, Raul Schnoor, Brutus Pedreira
Votes: 2,875
34. Antonio das Mortes (1969)
100 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In this sequel to "Black God, White Devil", Antonio das Mortes must return back to action after killing the last of the Cangaceiros 29 years ago, when a new outlaw appears, who will eventually reveal as an idealist and mark him profoundly.
Director: Glauber Rocha | Stars: Maurício do Valle, Odete Lara, Othon Bastos, Hugo Carvana
Votes: 2,280
35. Joaquim (2017)
97 min | Biography, Drama, History
A partly fictional, partly historical account of the life of Brazil's national hero Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, alias Tiradentes.
Director: Marcelo Gomes | Stars: Julio Machado, Isabél Zuaa, Rômulo Braga, Marco Perpétuo
Votes: 574
36. Lower City (2005)
R | 98 min | Drama
Lifelong friends Deco and Naldinho, who own a small steaming boat in Bahia, meet strip-dancer Karinna. Both men fall for her and their friendship is deeply shattered.
Director: Sergio Machado | Stars: Alice Braga, Wagner Moura, Lázaro Ramos, Maria Menezes
Votes: 4,370 | Gross: $0.13M
37. Gabriela (1983)
R | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 1925, Nacib (Marcello Mastroianni) is the owner of a bar in a small Brazilian coastal town runs by the local colonels. He meets Gabriela (Sonia Braga) and hires her on as a cook. They ... See full summary »
Director: Bruno Barreto | Stars: Sonia Braga, Marcello Mastroianni, Antonio Cantafora, Paulo Goulart
Votes: 1,298
38. Central Station (1998)
R | 110 min | Drama
The emotive journey of a former schoolteacher who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy whose mother has just died, as they search for the father he never knew.
Director: Walter Salles | Stars: Fernanda Montenegro, Vinícius de Oliveira, Marília Pêra, Soia Lira
Votes: 42,305 | Gross: $5.60M
39. Xingu (2011)
Not Rated | 102 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
Three brothers embark on a journey that begins with a kinship with Brazil's indigenous tribes, to their creation of South America's largest national park.
Director: Cao Hamburger | Stars: João Miguel, Felipe Camargo, Caio Blat, Maiarim Kaiabi
Votes: 1,923
40. Two Irenes (2017)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama
In the shimmering heat of Brazil, 13-year-old Irene discovers a dark secret her father's been hiding: he has another family and even another daughter with the same name.
Director: Fabio Meira | Stars: Priscila Bittencourt, Isabela Torres, Marco Ricca, Susana Ribeiro
Votes: 832
41. A Casa de Alice (2007)
Unrated | 92 min | Drama
Alice, married for the last 20 years to a taxi driver, works in a beauty parlour, has three children, the eldest of whom is doing his military service, and a mother who works as a maid in ... See full summary »
Director: Chico Teixeira | Stars: Carla Ribas, Berta Zemel, Vinicius Faria Zinn, Ricardo Vilaça
Votes: 672 | Gross: $0.06M
42. Casa Grande (2014)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Romance
Exploring issues of class privilege among Rio's decadent elite, Casa Grande depicts a teenage boy's struggle to escape his overprotective parents as they covertly spiral into bankruptcy.
Director: Fellipe Barbosa | Stars: Marcello Novaes, Suzana Pires, Thales Cavalcanti, Clarissa Pinheiro
Votes: 3,105
43. Viagem ao Fim do Mundo (1968)
90 min | Drama
During a flight, passengers confront their aspirations, frustrations, fears, wishes and fears, mixing up reality and fiction.
Director: Fernando Coni Campos | Stars: Esmeralda Barros, Fernando Coni Campos, Talula Campos, Walter Forster
Votes: 91
44. To the Left of the Father (2001)
Not Rated | 163 min | Drama
A young son who ran from his dominant family descends into decadence, then returns to the nest. Tyrannical fathers, incest, fierce family conflicts, and an intense visual style to match.
Director: Luiz Fernando Carvalho | Stars: Selton Mello, Raul Cortez, Juliana Carneiro da Cunha, Simone Spoladore
Votes: 2,045
45. The Man of the Year (2003)
105 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Maiquel has lost a bet and dyed his hair blond. This little event triggers a head-on collision with destiny in which Maiquel goes from nobody to hero to outlaw--all in 24 hours.
Director: José Henrique Fonseca | Stars: Murilo Benício, Cláudia Abreu, Natália Lage, Jorge Dória
Votes: 3,104
46. Blue Blood (2014)
119 min | Drama, Mystery
Twenty two years ago, an arid, volcanic and island paradise nestled in the middle of the South Atlantic, a nine year old boy, Pedro was separated from his sister, Raquel. Rosa, their mother... See full summary »
Director: Lírio Ferreira | Stars: Daniel de Oliveira, Caroline Abras, Sandra Corveloni, Rômulo Braga
Votes: 333
47. Antônia (2006)
PG-13 | 90 min | Drama, Musical
Determined to escape their poverty-stricken lives, four talented young women living on the underprivileged outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, form an all-female rap group but find their road ... See full summary »
Director: Tata Amaral | Stars: Negra Li, Leilah Moreno, Cindy Mendes, Quelynah
Votes: 437 | Gross: $0.00M
48. Casa de Areia (2005)
R | 115 min | Drama
A woman is taken along with her mother in 1910 to a far-away desert by her husband, and after his passing, is forced to spend the next 59 years of her life hopelessly trying to escape it.
Director: Andrucha Waddington | Stars: Fernanda Montenegro, Fernanda Torres, Ruy Guerra, Seu Jorge
Votes: 3,272 | Gross: $0.53M
49. The Trespasser (2001)
97 min | Drama, Thriller
Two businessmen hire a hitman to kill their third partner and are then blackmailed by the hitman as he takes over their company.
Director: Beto Brant | Stars: Marco Ricca, Alexandre Borges, Paulo Miklos, Mariana Ximenes
Votes: 1,859
50. Up Against Them All (2004)
95 min | Crime, Drama
"Contra Todos" is a story about the lies, treachery and vengeance of a middle-class family living on the outskirts of São Paulo. Four characters try desperately to change their lives, but are unable to escape their destiny.
Director: Roberto Moreira | Stars: Leona Cavalli, Sílvia Lourenço, Ailton Graça, Giulio Lopes
Votes: 457
51. Greta (II) (2019)
97 min | Drama
Pedro, a 70-year-old gay nurse, is taking care of Daniela, his ailing transgender friend. In order to find her a vacant hospital bed, he decides to help an arrested and wounded criminal to escape.
Director: Armando Praça | Stars: Marco Nanini, Denise Weinberg, Demick Lopes, Gretta Star
Votes: 421
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