''God Is Brazilian'' () is a 2003 Brazilian

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film co-written and directed by Carlos Diegues, based on the short story ''O Santo que Não Acreditava em Deus'' by João Ubaldo Ribeiro. In the film,

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

, portrayed by

Antônio Fagundes Antônio José da Silva Fagundes Filho (born 18 April 1949) is a Brazilian actor, playwright, voice actor, and producer. Renowned for his several performances in stage, film and television, where he frequently works in telenovelas. Biography Fa ...

, decides to take a vacation and heads to

Northeastern Brazil The Northeast Region of Brazil ( ) is one of the five official and political regions of the country according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Of Brazil's twenty-six states, it comprises nine: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, R ...

to find a saint as a replacement. Filming took place over the course of 64 days in the Brazilian states of

Tocantins Tocantins () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is the newest state, formed in 1988 and encompassing what had formerly been the northern two-fifths of the state of Goiás. Tocantins covers and had an estimated population of 1,496,880 in 2014 ...

Alagoas Alagoas () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco (N and NW); Sergipe (S); Bahia (SW); and the Atlantic Ocean (E). Its capital is ...

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Plot

Taoca, a part-time fisherman and small-time

con artist A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibi ...

, finds a man holding on to a buoy in the middle of the ocean. The man claims he is

, but Taoca doesn't believe him until he performs some miracles. It seems God has decided to take a break and is searching for someone to temporarily take over. With Taoca, God travels the country in hopes of finding a new saint who is fit for the job. Along the way, they meet a woman, Madá, who joins the two in hopes they will take her to

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, where her mother has died. Eventually, the trio comes across a young man who appears to have the right qualifications, except he has no belief in a higher power.

Cast

Wagner Moura Wagner Maniçoba de Moura (; born 27 June 1976) is a Brazilian actor, voice-actor and filmmaker. His accolades include the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''The Secret Agent'' (2025), as well as a Golden Globe n ...

as Taoca *

Paloma Duarte Paloma Marcos Sanches Silva (born 21 May 1977) is a Brazilian actress, best known as Paloma Duarte for '' Two Sons of Francisco'' (2005), ''Leo e Bia'' (2010) and '' Soulbound'' (2011). References Brazilian film actresses Paloma Living p ...

as Madá *

Hugo Carvana Hugo Carvana de Hollanda (4 June 1937 – 4 October 2014) was a Brazilian actor and film director. He appeared in more than 110 films and television shows between 1954 and 2014. Selected filmography Film *1955: ''Trabalhou Bem, Genival' ...

as Quincas Batalha *

Stepan Nercessian Stepan Nercessian (born 2 December 1953) is a Brazilian actor and politician of Armenian descent. Nercessian was born in Cristalina, Goiás; his career began in the late 1960s, in the film ''Marcelo Zona Sul''. He also acted on stage and televis ...

as Baudelé * Bruce Gomlevsky as Quinca das Mulas * Castrinho as Goró * Chico de Assis as Cezão * Thiago Farias as Messias *

Susana Werner Susana Werner (born 20 July 1977) is a Brazilian model and actress. Werner's parents are Kátia and Avelino Werner. She has a brother named André. Her family is of German descent. Personal life From 1997 to 1999, Susana Werner had a relations ...

as Senhorita Agá *

Toni Garrido Antônio Bento da Silva Filho (born September 7, 1967, in Rio de Janeiro), known as Toni Garrido, is a Brazilian singer, TV presenter and actor. He is the lead singer of the reggae band Cidade Negra. Born in a poor background, Garrido was adopted ...

as São Pedro

Notes

References

External links

* * 2003 films 2003 comedy-drama films 2003 fantasy films 2000s fantasy comedy-drama films 2000s Portuguese-language films 2000s road comedy-drama films Brazilian fantasy comedy-drama films Columbia Pictures films Films about God Films based on short fiction Films directed by Carlos Diegues Films shot in Pernambuco Films shot in Rio de Janeiro (state) 2000s Brazilian films {{2000s-comedy-drama-film-stub