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Netflix’s ‘Caso Eloá: Refém ao Vivo’ Leads in Brazil, Rekindling Scrutiny of Media and Police

The film spotlights how live television shaped the 100-hour standoff’s negotiations.

Overview

  • Released on November 12, the documentary is now the most-watched film on Netflix in Brazil.
  • The production argues that real-time coverage, including live phone interviews with the perpetrator, influenced his behavior and hindered talks.
  • It details questioned police tactics by São Paulo’s GATE unit, including the stalled use-of-force options and the controversial final invasion.
  • Interviews include Eloá’s parents, her brother and journalists, while survivor Nayara Rodrigues and presenter Sônia Abrão did not participate.
  • The film revisits the judicial outcome, noting Lindemberg Alves’s 2012 sentence of 98 years and 10 months and his 2025 progression to a semi-open regime.