Institute History
Description
An epic tragedy of corruption and betrayal, Impeachment is a behind-the-scenes look at the ousting of Brazil’s first female president, Dilma Rousseff. With privileged access to the president and other key politicians, the film unravels like a political thriller as Brazil falls into disarray, echoing the undoing of so many democracies throughout the world. Once a member of a guerrilla group and tortured by the dictatorship, Dilma won the presidential election in a moment when Brazil was rising as an economic powerhouse, hosting both the World Cup and the Olympics. But in 2016 everything began to crumble. Dilma’s party suffered accusations of corruption and impeachment proceedings began. However, in a country where over 60%of politicians are accused of corruption, Dilma was a rarity: she was not accused of stealing for herself. Even her own vice president (now current president), who was instrumental in her overthrow, stands accused of embezzlement and bribery. On the last day of the impeachment trial Dilma gives a final speech, saying, “Twice I have looked into the face of death, and today what I fear the most is the death of democracy.” Through intimately depicting real-time 'realpolitik', the film elucidates the chaos of collapse, exposing the Machiavellian tendencies that would otherwise befit a Greek Tragedy.