How do we deal with the pain of being thrown into a future that looks as dark as our bleakest past? Filmmaker Petra Costa poses this and many other familiar questions as she captures a country in deep political crisis, one whose current situation mirrors threats to democracy around the world. Extraordinary access to Brazilian presidents Dilma Rousseff and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) during impeachment and indictment proceedings combined with a remarkable array of archival footage makes for a richly dynamic portrayal of Brazil’s contemporary political history. Costa’s tender, almost plaintive narration, mesmerizing drone footage, and a passionate score work to expertly elevate what could simply have been political reporting to an eloquently intimate elegy. Dichotomies abound in this profound visual narrative: We witness Lula’s and Rousseff’s rise and fall in sharp relief against the stunning architecture of Brasília’s city seat, and experience the sterile calm of an empty president’s palace juxtaposed with hate-filled crowds screaming along the edges of democracy.  WFM