The Mighty Spirit

Eduardo Coutinho's 1999 Brazilian documentary talks with people in one Rio neighbourhood about their beliefs. Catholicism, Afro-Brazilian religions, spirit work and Protestant congregations coexist on the same street, and often in the same person. Coutinho's method matters as much as the documentary itself. He does not hide the camera; the editing table, the selection process and the conditions of the interview are all included. The people talking decide for themselves what they will say and the director does not correct them. What results is not a sociology of religion but a way of telling. How people construct a story as they recount what they saw becomes the film's real subject. Who it's for: those who like the Brazilian documentary tradition and interview-based films. Who it's not for: viewers expecting information about the subject; the film explains nothing and consists entirely of testimony.