# O Auto da Compadecida (1999)

> A poor, cunning peasant and his timid friend outwit greedy landowners, a corrupt priest and the devil in a rural Brazilian northeast village.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/77614

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 4
- Episode runtime: 41 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, fantasy, drama
- Created by: Adriana Falcão, Guel Arraes, João Falcão
- Network: TV Globo
- Cast: Matheus Nachtergaele, Selton Mello, Fernanda Montenegro, Rogério Cardoso, Denise Fraga, Diogo Vilela, Luís Melo, Virginia Cavendish
- TMDB rating: 9.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197139/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: irreverent, sly, warm, farcical, tender

## What critics say

Audiences broadly acclaim the miniseries as a witty, culturally rooted comedy whose folkloric satire and charismatic leads make it a beloved Brazilian classic.

## Synopsis

O Auto da Compadecida (1999) is a Brazilian miniseries created by Adriana Falcão, Guel Arraes and João Falcão for TV Globo. Adapted from the play by Ariano Suassuna, it follows the mischievous João Grilo (Matheus Nachtergaele) and his anxious, tall-tale-spinning friend Chicó (Selton Mello) as they scrape by in a poor village in Brazil's Northeastern sertão. Grilo survives by lying, bargaining and tricking the greedy landowner, the corrupt priest Padre João (Rogério Cardoso) and the bored, dangerous figures who hold power over the village. Each of the four chapters is built around a new scheme, a new victim and a new humiliation for the powerful, all while the characters face death and judgment. The story's folk-catholic afterlife, with the intercessor Compadecida (Fernanda Montenegro) and the devil (Luís Melo), gives its sly satire a spiritual dimension. Its tone is warm, irreverent and quick, blending broad farce with earthy regional humor and a tender sympathy for the poor. Fans of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Don Quixote will find resonance in its trickster wit and folk satire.

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