Vitória

Nina is an old woman living alone on an upper floor in Copacabana. From her window she can see the drug trade on the hillside opposite: who sells, who protects, which police car arrives when. Since nobody else does anything, she decides to. She buys a camera and films for months from behind her curtain. The recordings do not only show the dealers; they show the arrangement with the police, and that is where it gets serious. The film is interested not in heroism but in the price of bearing witness. Nina is put into protection, moved out of her home, and loses her own life in exchange for the case she won. The story is real: the source is Fabio Gusmao's book and the woman known by the pseudonym Dona Vitoria, Joana Zeferino da Paz. She died in February 2023 at ninety-seven, and her real identity was only revealed after her death. Andrucha Waddington completed the film. Shooting had begun with Breno Silveira, who died in May 2022 in its early stages. Paula Fiuza wrote the screenplay. Fernanda Montenegro plays Nina. It opened on 13 March 2025. Who it is for: anyone who wants Brazilian cinema, true stories and Montenegro. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a thriller. The film moves slowly, the procedural element is weak, and the last section drifts into the language of news reporting.