Tropical Purgatory: Brazil Through the Lenses of Stefan Zweig and Elizabeth Bishop

Writers Stefan Zweig and Elizabeth Bishop both lived in Brazil, although in very different circumstances. Their stories served as basis for two films: Maria Schrader’s Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe (Vor der Morgenröte, 2016), and Bruno Barreto’s Reaching for the Moon (Flores raras, 2013). This article aims to describe the differences between these two films, and how they can be connected to Brazilian authors such as Gilberto Freyre and Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, whose works attempt to understand Brazil’s social dynamics from the perspective of its violent colonial past. Furthermore, this article aims to question the connections between historical accuracy and political engagement, arguing that the general tone of a film narrative may sometimes be much more politically-oriented than the actual facts it portrays.