I’ve recently published a newsletter with 5 Brazilian movies that you can watch on Netflix. This post presents an extended list with 21 movies.
I link each movie to its trailer and its IMDB entry.
I also offer a link to get the movie at Amazon.com, since Netflix availability depends on your location and your subscription plan (and buying DVDs is so cheap nowadays).
Some of the movies are available on YouTube as well.
Make Movies Count when Learning Portuguese
You can certainly learn a few new words just by watching a movie. However just watching is a passive activity. While you will have fun with the movie, your language skills won’t benefit as much from it.
The trick to benefit much more from watching movies is to turn it into an active learning experience. You do so by associating the movie experience with language practice. And it becomes a lot more fun when you add social and cultural commentary to your practice.
The book Cinema for Portuguese Conversation does just that for you! I wrote a review on the book and you can see it here.
21 Brazilian Movies that You Can Watch on Netflix
1. Som ao Redor (Neighbouring Sounds)
2. Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad)
3. Tropa de Elite 2 (Elite Squad – The Enemy Within)
4. Cidade de Deus (City of God)
5. Cidade dos Homens (City of Men)
6. Tropicália
7. Central do Brasil (Central Station)
8. Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (The Way He Looks)
9. A Esperança Vem do Lixo (Trash)
10. Serra Pelada (Bald Mountain)
11. Lixo Extraordinário (Waste Land)
12. Capitães de Areia (Captains of the Sands)
13. Histórias que Só Existem Quando Lembradas (Found Memories)
14. Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun)
15. Deus é Brasileiro (God is Brazilian)
16. Antes que o Mundo Acabe
17. Carandiru
18. O Que É Isso, Companheiro? (Four Days in September)
19. Se Eu Fosse Você (If I Were You)
20. Praia do Futuro (Futuro Beach)
21. Raul – O Início, o Fim e o Meio
Music, books, and movies are rich resources to support our language-learning efforts. That’s one of the reasons I post so often about Brazilian Culture in our social network. I hope it helps to keep you motivated and inspired in your Portuguese-speaking adventure.
Check out my lesson on movie vocabulary and phrases to talk about movies. The lesson has a crossword puzzle so you can practice your movie vocabulary.
Make the most out of watching movies and listening to music by learning with a Street Smart Brazil trained Portuguese language instructor. Book a Trial Lesson with one of our amazing teachers.
Oi,
Thanks for the list! Where can I find classic Brazilian cinema?
Muito obrigado,
Chris
I know they get American movies in Brazil, dubbed in Portuguese, why can’t I find them on the internet? I would love to share movies here in Michigan with my wife, who is from Sao Paolo
My friend says this is a baddddd list
It is an old post. Feel free to suggest new movies on the comments. I will be happy to write a new, updated post.