Exploring Brazil’s Authoritarian Past: A Review of “Behind Closed Doors”

“Behind Closed Doors” details Brazil’s military dictatorship, highlighting the stark contrast between state propaganda and the reality of repression. The film utilizes archived footage and recordings from a crucial 1968 meeting to reveal the systematic erosion of civil rights. While its stylistic choices provide powerful visual commentary, the film lacks a direct connection to contemporary authoritarian practices.

The documentary “Behind Closed Doors,” directed by João Pedro Bim, explores Brazil’s military dictatorship through the lens of archival recordings and propaganda newsreels. The film centers around a classified December 1968 meeting in which Institutional Act No 5 was enacted, stripping citizens of their civil rights and initiating a brutal era marked by forced disappearances and torture. The recent emergence of the meeting’s tapes exposes the dark realities underpinning the regime’s polished public image.

Bim juxtaposes archival propaganda images depicting a façade of national pride—such as marching soldiers and modernist architecture—with the stark truths revealed in the recorded conversations from the dictatorship’s leaders. This contrast serves to starkly illuminate the hypocrisy inherent in the portrayal of social harmony, thus transforming the propaganda into a grotesque representation of reality. The documentary unsettles the viewer by revealing the calculated dismantling of democratic freedoms behind a veneer of unity.

To enhance the impact of this narrative, Bim employs various stylistic elements including freeze frames, time-lapse sequences, and jump cuts. These techniques serve to disrupt the continuity of the propagandistic imagery, exposing the manipulation inherent in state messaging. However, as the film advances, these artistic choices can feel repetitive, leading to diminishing surprise and engagement.

While the film offers an intriguing examination of historical authoritarianism, it does not draw more explicit connections to contemporary political issues, such as those arising during Jair Bolsonaro’s tenure. This omission may represent a missed opportunity to reflect on the ongoing repercussions of past abuses in light of current governance dynamics.

In summary, “Behind Closed Doors” provides a critical reflection on Brazil’s descent into authoritarianism during the late 1960s by juxtaposing propaganda with harrowing truths. The film utilizes innovative cinematic techniques to expose the government’s facade, though it may fall short by not linking historical events to present-day politics. Ultimately, Bim’s work serves both as a historical document and a cautionary tale regarding the fragility of democratic freedoms.

Original Source: www.theguardian.com