Films and series · Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian movies worth watching
The Brazilian films to start with are City of God, Central Station, Elite Squad and I'm Still Here, which in 2025 won Brazil's first Oscar for Best International Feature. For every film and series here you'll also find how hard its Portuguese is, which accent you'll hear, and what you'll pick up from it.
Start here: 10 essential Brazilian films
- Hard: fast or slangy
Cidade de Deus
City of God
2002 · Film · Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund
Accent: Rio de Janeiro
Fast Rio street slang; for advanced learners.
Four Oscar nominations
Content: strong violence
Where to watch City of God, on JustWatch - Medium
Central do Brasil
Central Station
1998 · Film · Walter Salles
Accent: Rio de Janeiro; the Northeast
Clear dialogue and a road trip across Brazil's accents.
Golden Bear, Berlin 1998
Content: mild
Where to watch Central Station, on JustWatch - Hard: fast or slangy
Tropa de Elite
Elite Squad
2007 · Film · José Padilha
Accent: Rio de Janeiro
Rapid Rio slang and police jargon.
Golden Bear, Berlin 2008
Content: strong violence
Where to watch Elite Squad, on JustWatch - Medium
Ainda Estou Aqui
I'm Still Here
2024 · Film · Walter Salles
Accent: Rio de Janeiro
Measured family dialogue; a key story of Brazil's dictatorship.
Oscar for Best International Feature (2025)
Content: moderate
Where to watch I'm Still Here, on JustWatch - Medium
Que Horas Ela Volta?
The Second Mother
2015 · Film · Anna Muylaert
Accent: São Paulo; Northeast (Pernambuco) accent
Everyday family dialogue in São Paulo, with Val's Northeastern speech beside it.
Content: mild
Where to watch The Second Mother, on JustWatch - Hard: fast or slangy
Bacurau
2019 · Film · Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
Accent: Northeast (sertão)
Rural Northeastern speech; for advanced learners.
Jury Prize, Cannes 2019
Content: strong violence
Where to watch Bacurau, on JustWatch - Medium
O Auto da Compadecida
A Dog's Will
2000 · Film · Guel Arraes
Accent: Northeast (Paraíba)
Very funny, with strong Northeastern accents and expressions.
Content: mild
Where to watch A Dog's Will, on JustWatch - Easy Portuguese
Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho
The Way He Looks
2014 · Film · Daniel Ribeiro
Accent: São Paulo
Slow, clear everyday speech between teenagers.
Content: mild
Where to watch The Way He Looks, on JustWatch - Hard: fast or slangy
O Agente Secreto
The Secret Agent
2025 · Film · Kleber Mendonça Filho
Accent: Recife
Recife in 1977; for advanced learners.
Best Director and Best Actor, Cannes 2025
Content: moderate
Where to watch The Secret Agent, on JustWatch - Medium
Aquarius
2016 · Film · Kleber Mendonça Filho
Accent: Recife
Natural adult conversation in Recife.
Content: moderate
Where to watch Aquarius, on JustWatch
Easier films for learners
Clear dialogue and everyday Portuguese: good first films, with Portuguese or English subtitles.
- Easy Portuguese
Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho
The Way He Looks
2014 · Film · Daniel Ribeiro
Accent: São Paulo
Slow, clear everyday speech between teenagers.
Content: mild
Where to watch The Way He Looks, on JustWatch - Easy Portuguese
O Palhaço
The Clown
2011 · Film · Selton Mello
Accent: Minas Gerais; countryside
Gentle, slow dialogue and countryside Brazil.
Content: mild
Where to watch The Clown, on JustWatch - Easy Portuguese
Turma da Mônica: Laços
Monica and Friends: Bonds
2019 · Film · Daniel Rezende
Accent: São Paulo (Limoeiro)
Children's speech: slow, clear and simple. A great first film.
Where to watch Monica and Friends: Bonds, on JustWatch - Easy Portuguese
O Ano em que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation
2006 · Film · Cao Hamburger
Accent: São Paulo
A boy's view of 1970 São Paulo; simple, clear dialogue.
Content: mild
Where to watch The Year My Parents Went on Vacation, on JustWatch - Easy Portuguese
Se Eu Fosse Você
If I Were You
2006 · Film · Daniel Filho
Accent: Rio de Janeiro
Light comedy with everyday couple dialogue.
Content: mild
Where to watch If I Were You, on JustWatch
Classics
- Medium
O Pagador de Promessas
Keeper of Promises
1962 · Film · Anselmo Duarte
Accent: Salvador (Bahia)
A classic; clear but older-style Portuguese.
Palme d'Or, Cannes 1962
Content: mild
Where to watch Keeper of Promises, on JustWatch - Medium
Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands
1976 · Film · Bruno Barreto
Accent: Salvador (Bahia)
Bahian speech, from Jorge Amado's novel.
Content: sexual content
Where to watch Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, on JustWatch - Medium
Central do Brasil
Central Station
1998 · Film · Walter Salles
Accent: Rio de Janeiro; the Northeast
Clear dialogue and a road trip across Brazil's accents.
Golden Bear, Berlin 1998
Content: mild
Where to watch Central Station, on JustWatch - Medium
Dois Filhos de Francisco
Two Sons of Francisco
2005 · Film · Breno Silveira
Accent: Goiás; countryside
Countryside speech and sertanejo music; a true story.
Content: mild
Where to watch Two Sons of Francisco, on JustWatch
New Brazilian cinema
- Hard: fast or slangy
Bacurau
2019 · Film · Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
Accent: Northeast (sertão)
Rural Northeastern speech; for advanced learners.
Jury Prize, Cannes 2019
Content: strong violence
Where to watch Bacurau, on JustWatch - Medium
A Vida Invisível
Invisible Life
2019 · Film · Karim Aïnouz
Accent: Rio de Janeiro
Clear dialogue in 1950s Rio.
Un Certain Regard prize, Cannes 2019
Content: moderate
Where to watch Invisible Life, on JustWatch - Hard: fast or slangy
Marighella
2019 · Film · Wagner Moura
Accent: São Paulo
Political history; intense dialogue.
Content: strong violence
Where to watch Marighella, on JustWatch - Medium
Ainda Estou Aqui
I'm Still Here
2024 · Film · Walter Salles
Accent: Rio de Janeiro
Measured family dialogue; a key story of Brazil's dictatorship.
Oscar for Best International Feature (2025)
Content: moderate
Where to watch I'm Still Here, on JustWatch - Hard: fast or slangy
O Agente Secreto
The Secret Agent
2025 · Film · Kleber Mendonça Filho
Accent: Recife
Recife in 1977; for advanced learners.
Best Director and Best Actor, Cannes 2025
Content: moderate
Where to watch The Secret Agent, on JustWatch
Brazilian series on Netflix
Netflix's own Brazilian series, from its first, 3%, to crime thrillers and a 1950s Rio of bossa nova.
- Medium
3%
2016 · Netflix series · Pedro Aguilera
Accent: São Paulo
Netflix's first Brazilian original series; clear, dramatic dialogue.
Content: moderate
Where to watch 3%, on JustWatch - Hard: fast or slangy
Sintonia
2019 · Netflix series · KondZilla, Guilherme Quintella and Felipe Braga
Accent: São Paulo (periphery)
São Paulo periphery slang and funk culture.
Content: moderate
Where to watch Sintonia, on JustWatch - Medium
Coisa Mais Linda
Girls from Ipanema
2019 · Netflix series · Giuliano Cedroni and Heather Roth
Accent: Rio de Janeiro
1950s Rio and bossa nova; clear speech.
Content: moderate
Where to watch Girls from Ipanema, on JustWatch - Medium
Cidade Invisível
Invisible City
2021 · Netflix series · Carlos Saldanha
Accent: Rio de Janeiro; Amazon
Brazilian folklore creatures in modern Rio.
Content: moderate
Where to watch Invisible City, on JustWatch - Hard: fast or slangy
Bom Dia, Verônica
Good Morning, Verônica
2020 · Netflix series · Raphael Montes and Ilana Casoy
Accent: São Paulo
Tense crime thriller; police vocabulary.
Content: strong violence
Where to watch Good Morning, Verônica, on JustWatch - Hard: fast or slangy
DNA do Crime
Criminal Code
2023 · Netflix series · Heitor Dhalia
Accent: São Paulo; border regions
Police action with lots of jargon.
Content: strong violence
Where to watch Criminal Code, on JustWatch - Hard: fast or slangy
O Mecanismo
The Mechanism
2018 · Netflix series · José Padilha
Accent: Brasília; Curitiba
Based on a real corruption investigation; political vocabulary.
Content: moderate
Where to watch The Mechanism, on JustWatch - Hard: fast or slangy
Irmandade
Brotherhood
2019 · Netflix series · Pedro Morelli
Accent: São Paulo
Prison drama; street language.
Content: strong violence
Where to watch Brotherhood, on JustWatch
Telenovelas and TV
A telenovela, or novela, is a TV drama told in one long season that runs for months, with a new episode almost every night. The biggest are made by TV Globo and shown in the evening, and much of the country follows the same story at the same time. The plots repeat what happened often enough that a learner can keep up, which makes a novela good, steady listening practice.
Beside the novelas: two family sitcoms, a series set in a therapist's room, a children's classic, and the series that followed City of God.
- Medium
Avenida Brasil
2012 · Series · João Emanuel Carneiro
Accent: Rio de Janeiro
A famous telenovela: repetitive plots make it easy to follow.
Content: moderate
Where to watch Avenida Brasil, on JustWatch - Easy Portuguese
A Grande Família
2001 · Series · Oduvaldo Vianna Filho and Armando Costa (created); Rede Globo's 2001–2015 version
Accent: Rio de Janeiro (suburbs)
Everyday family comedy; ran for 14 years, so there's lots to watch.
Where to watch A Grande Família, on JustWatch - Medium
Os Normais
2001 · Series · Alexandre Machado and Fernanda Young (writers)
Accent: Rio de Janeiro
Fast, funny couple dialogue.
Content: mild
Where to watch Os Normais, on JustWatch - Medium
Sessão de Terapia
2012 · Series · Selton Mello (writer-director; based on the Israeli series BeTipul)
Accent: São Paulo
Almost all conversation in one room: perfect listening practice.
Content: moderate
Where to watch Sessão de Terapia, on JustWatch - Easy Portuguese
Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum
1994 · Series · Flávio de Souza and Cao Hamburger
Accent: São Paulo
A classic children's show: slow, clear and playful.
Where to watch Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum, on JustWatch - Hard: fast or slangy
Cidade dos Homens
City of Men
2002 · Series · Fernando Meirelles and others
Accent: Rio de Janeiro
Two friends growing up in a Rio favela; real Rio speech.
Content: moderate
Where to watch City of Men, on JustWatch
Brazilian films at the Oscars
- I'm Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui) won Best International Feature Film in 2025, Brazil's first win in that category. It was also nominated for Best Picture, and Fernanda Torres for Best Actress.
- The Secret Agent (O Agente Secreto) was nominated for four Oscars in 2026: Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Actor for Wagner Moura, and Best Casting. At Cannes in 2025 it won Best Director and Best Actor.
- City of God (Cidade de Deus) had four nominations in 2004: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.
- Central Station (Central do Brasil) was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 1999, and Fernanda Montenegro for Best Actress.
- Keeper of Promises (O Pagador de Promessas) was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 1963.
How to watch to learn
- Start with English subtitles to follow the story, then switch to Portuguese subtitles once you can: you hear the words and see them at the same time.
- Rewatch a scene you liked, two or three times. The second time you catch words you missed, and the third time whole phrases.
- Write down phrases you hear more than once. Expressions like cara (dude), mano and beleza come up in almost every film set among young people.
- Accents differ a lot: the Northeast (Bacurau, A Dog's Will) sounds very different from São Paulo (The Way He Looks). The pronunciation guide explains the main differences.
- City of God and Sintonia are full of slang. Save them for later, or keep the Brazilian slang guide open beside you.
Between films, read
Brazilian stories at your level, where you tap any word for what it means in that sentence and hear the page read aloud.
Read Brazilian stories with the words explainedQuestions
What is the most famous Brazilian movie?
City of God (Cidade de Deus, 2002), by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund. It follows young people growing up in a Rio favela, and it was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Director.
Has a Brazilian movie won an Oscar?
Yes. I'm Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui) won Best International Feature Film in 2025, the first Brazilian film to win in that category.
What are good Brazilian series on Netflix?
Netflix's own Brazilian series include 3%, its first, the São Paulo drama Sintonia, Girls from Ipanema (Coisa Mais Linda), set in 1950s Rio, the folklore mystery Invisible City, and the thrillers Good Morning, Verônica, Criminal Code, The Mechanism and Brotherhood.
What is a telenovela?
A TV drama told in one long season that runs for months, with a new episode almost every night. The biggest are made by TV Globo; Avenida Brasil (2012) is one of the best known.
Which Brazilian movies are easiest for learners?
Films with slow, clear, everyday dialogue: Monica and Friends: Bonds, The Way He Looks, The Year My Parents Went on Vacation, The Clown and If I Were You.