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Films from Brazil

Best Movies from Brazil

Brazil's catalogue on Celluloid runs to 14 films spanning 1959–2026 across 2 languages — chiefly Portuguese and English —, led by I'm Still Here (88%) and City of God (86%). Every title is ranked by our four-input Celluloid Score with critic consensus and expert reviews on each film page.

Quick Answer

The highest-rated Brazil film on Celluloid is I'm Still Here (2024) with an 88% Celluloid Score — Recommended.

14
Films indexed
74%
Avg. Celluloid Score
2
Languages
13
Critic reviews

Guide to Brazil Movies on Celluloid

Each film from Brazil in our catalogue includes a Celluloid Score from up to four verified inputs, original verdict text, and linked editorial reviews where available. Audience sentiment is separate.

Titles are indexed by original language and country of production for easier discovery.

Essential Brazil Picks

Top 5 by Celluloid Score
I'm Still Here 2024 · Walter Salles · Portuguese

Walter Salles returns with a restrained, deeply moving portrait of resilience under dictatorship, crowned by a luminous Fernanda Torres in the performance of her career.

88%
Celluloid Score Recommended
City of God 2002 · Fernando Meirelles · Portuguese

Meirelles' kinetic crime saga announced Brazil as a force in global cinema with raw energy and style.

86%
Celluloid Score Recommended
Central Station 1998 · Walter Salles · Portuguese

Salles' road movie won Berlin and introduced Fernanda Montenegro to the world stage.

85%
Celluloid Score Recommended
Aquarius 2016 · Kleber Mendonça Filho · Portuguese

Sônia Braga commands every frame in this elegy for memory, architecture, and stubborn dignity.

84%
Celluloid Score Recommended
Bacurau 2019 · Kleber Mendonça Filho & Juliano Dornelles · Portuguese

Mendonça Filho and Dornelles blend western, sci-fi, and political fury into a singular revenge fable.

83%
Celluloid Score Recommended

Brazil Movie Reviews

All reviews →

Full critic reviews with answer-engine summaries — each review answers whether the film is worth watching, what it is about, and where to stream it.

I'm Still Here (2024) ★★★★★

I'm Still Here (2024) Review: A Family Against Erasure

I'm Still Here is Walter Salles's true story of a Rio family torn apart by Brazil's dictatorship, a restrained masterpiece led by a superb Fernanda Torres.

Yes. It is a quietly devastating, beautifully acted true story about grief and defiance. Essential for anyone who values humane, restrained drama.
City of God (2002) ★★★★★

City of God (2002) Review: A Favela Epic at Full Throttle

City of God is Fernando Meirelles's explosive crime saga about boys growing up amid Rio's favela drug wars, and it remains one of the great films of its century.

Yes. It is a dazzling, devastating crime epic and essential viewing for adults who can handle intense violence, including violence involving children.
Central Station (1998) ★★★★½

Central Station (1998) Review: A Hard Heart Heads North

Central Station is Walter Salles's Brazilian road movie about a jaded letter writer and an orphaned boy, powered by Fernanda Montenegro's extraordinary lead.

Yes. It is a deeply moving road drama and one of the landmarks of Brazilian cinema, perfect for viewers who like emotional stories told with restraint and grit.
Aquarius (2016) ★★★★½

Aquarius (2016) Review: Sônia Braga Holds Her Ground

Kleber Mendonça Filho's Aquarius stars Sônia Braga as a Recife widow who refuses to sell her flat to developers: a rich, defiant drama about memory and home.

Yes. It is a superb, slow-burning Brazilian drama with a career-best Sônia Braga. Give it time, because its 146 minutes build to something quietly powerful.
Bacurau (2019) ★★★★☆

Bacurau (2019) Review: A Weird Western That Bites Back

Bacurau is a genre-bending Brazilian western in which a remote village, erased from the map and hunted for sport, fights back. Strange, furious and bold.

Yes, with reservations. It is a bold political western for adventurous viewers who can handle sudden, graphic violence and a deliberately slow first hour.
The Second Mother (2015) ★★★★½

The Second Mother (2015) Review: The Kitchen Door as Border

The Second Mother is Anna Muylaert's sharp, funny Brazilian drama about a live-in housekeeper, her daughter and the unspoken class rules of a São Paulo home.

Yes. It is a warm, pointed and often hilarious study of class, led by Regina Casé, and ideal for anyone who likes social drama with a human touch.
Pixote (1980) ★★★★½

Pixote (1980) Review: Childhood Failed by the State

Pixote is Héctor Babenco's harrowing Brazilian drama about São Paulo street children, cast with real kids and shot with an unflinching, neorealist honesty.

Yes, if you can take it. This is one of the great films about abandoned children, essential for serious viewers but deeply distressing and not for the faint-hearted.
Black Orpheus (1959) ★★★★½

Black Orpheus (1959) Review: Myth Set to a Bossa Nova Beat

Black Orpheus is Marcel Camus's Palme d'Or-winning retelling of the Orpheus myth at Rio's Carnival, a dazzling romance whose bossa nova score still enchants.

Yes. It is a gorgeous, music-drenched romance and a landmark of world cinema, best for viewers who can enjoy its magic while noticing its outsider's view of Rio.
A Dog's Will (2000) ★★★★½

A Dog's Will (2000) Review: Tricksters of the Sertão

A Dog's Will is Brazil's beloved comedy about two penniless tricksters in the northeastern backlands, a quick-witted, irreverent folk tale with real heart.

Yes. It is one of Brazil's great popular comedies, fast, funny and warm, and ideal for anyone who loves trickster stories and doesn't mind broad, theatrical humour.
No More History Without Us (2024) ★★★½☆

No More History Without Us (2024) Review: Amazon Talks Back

No More History Without Us is Priscilla Brasil's angry, essayistic documentary about how the Amazon was invented as an empty Eden, told by filmmakers from the region.

Yes, with reservations. It is a sharp, compact essay film for viewers interested in colonial history and climate politics, though its manifesto style can feel more argued than shown.
City of Men (2007) ★★★★☆

City of Men (2007) Review: Fatherhood Under Fire in Rio

City of Men is Paulo Morelli's warm, tense favela drama about two best friends facing fatherhood and a gang war, a worthy companion to City of God.

Yes, with reservations. It is a heartfelt, gripping coming-of-age drama for anyone moved by City of God, though its plotting leans on coincidence and melodrama.
Elite Squad (2007) ★★★★½

Elite Squad (2007) Review: Police War Without Heroes

Elite Squad is José Padilha's ferocious Brazilian police thriller about Rio's BOPE unit. Gripping, brutal and still hotly debated, it is essential crime cinema.

Yes. It is a gripping, provocative crime film for adults who can handle intense violence and a narrator whose worldview the film invites you to question.
The Secret Agent (2026)

The Secret Agent Review: Paranoia in Carnival Recife

The Secret Agent is Kleber Mendonça Filho's sprawling 1970s Brazilian thriller, with Wagner Moura as a hunted man in Recife and a city alive with rumour and dread.

Yes. It is a rich, strange and gripping portrait of life under dictatorship, best for patient viewers who enjoy a thriller that takes detours.

Popular Genres

Drama 10 Crime 3 Thriller 3 Action 2 Comedy 2 Biography 1

All Brazil Movies

Ranked by Celluloid Score

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best movies from Brazil?

Browse our Brazil catalogue sorted by Celluloid Score — the highest-rated films appear first with critic and audience ratings on every card.

How does Celluloid rate films from Brazil?

Celluloid Score combines Celluloid editorial, Metascore, Letterboxd and IMDb inputs into a single percentage; audience sentiment is displayed separately alongside the written verdict and review.