# John of God: The Crimes of a Spiritual Healer (2021)

> A four-part Netflix true crime docuseries tracing how Brazilian spiritual healer João de Faria rose to fame before survivors, prosecutors and the press exposed his horrifying abuse.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/107652

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 4
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary, crime
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Andrea Mannelli, Rejane Araújo, Jardel Wagner, Norberto Kist, Angela Homercher, Luciano Miranda Meireles, Gabriela Manssur, Maria Helena Machado
- TMDB rating: 6.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15233856/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: sober, harrowing, tense, mournful

## Synopsis

John of God: The Crimes of a Spiritual Healer (2021) is a Brazilian true crime documentary limited series created for Netflix. Across four 50-minute episodes it follows idolized medium João Teixeira de Faria, known as John of God, whose healing practice drew devoted followers and international fame. The series builds its engine from survivor accounts, prosecutors' investigations and reporting by the press, which slowly assemble the case against a man his followers trusted completely. Its focus is the gap between public devotion and private horror, and how institutions and believers failed to see what was happening. Testimony is presented in a sober, documentary register, with interviews and archival material carrying a tense, mournful and cathartic tone. Viewers searching for a serious investigative true crime docuseries, a survivor-centered exposé or a story of charismatic impunity will find the material grounded and harrowing. Fans of Wild Wild Country, Leaving Neverland and Surviving R. Kelly will find resonance in its portrait of a powerful figure, a devoted community and the reporting that finally broke the silence.

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