Fernando Coimbra (“Narcos,” “Perry Mason”) was 11 years old when his homeland came to a standstill to witness the unfolding tragedy that would become known as “Brazilian Chernobyl.” Four decades later, the director has topped Netflix’s highly competitive global charts with Radioactive Emergency, a fast-paced series that looks back at nuclear disaster.
“Radioactive Emergency” is based on the real-life cesium-137 tragedy that occurred in Goiania, central Brazil, in 1987. In this incident, two men opened an abandoned cancer treatment machine while scavenging for metal. Inside was a mysterious, almost magical blue powder that glowed in the dark. Fascinated by the discovery, the men began sharing the material with their friends, unaware that they were working with highly radioactive cesium chloride. Their discovery led to the world’s worst radiation accident not caused by a nuclear power plant, resulting in four direct deaths and over 100,000 tests.
The Brazilian production was the most-watched non-English series on Netflix between March 23 and March 29, with over 10.8 million views. It also ranked in the top 10 in over 55 countries. “Radioactive Emergency” was produced by Gullane and created by Gustavo Lipstein (“Endless Night”). Starring Johnny Massaro (The Thousand Sons), Paulo Gorculho (The Endless Night), Bukasa Kabengele (The Warden), and Antonio Savoia (Bacurau).
Elisabetta Zenatti, Netflix’s vice president of Brazilian content, told Variety that the series is “a powerful story that requires care, talent and sensitivity from everyone involved.” “Nearly 40 years later, this deeply human theme remains relevant, resonates around the world, and provides a moment of reflection in today’s society. We are honored that creator Gustavo Ripstein has brought this story close to his heart, and that we can help ensure the legacy of the victims and those who rose in the face of tragedy lives on.”
Fabiano Galane, a veteran producer and founding partner of Galane, added that the series “brought a lot of pride” to his team, noting in particular the show’s “successful reach to Brazilian viewers, allowing them to reacquaint themselves with their history, and the strength it has shown to international audiences.” “It is important to demonstrate the human ability to work together and work together to save lives, and perhaps this is the message the world needs to hear at this moment in time, when we are witnessing diametrically opposed situations of war and displacement.”
“Radioactive Emergency” Provided by: Netflix
In response to the good news, Coimbra gave an interview to Variety, recalling the serendipitous turn of events when he was contacted about the project by director Gullane, who had been wanting to direct the true story into a film for years. “What I liked about this project was that there were so many perspectives: the victims, the physicists, the doctors, the government…this was my contribution: to engage with the characters and understand who they are.”
Lipshteyn and Coimbra decided to work together to create a thriller that pulsates to the core of humanity. It was important to get the right tone from the pilot. “The idea was to move everything that tells you what’s going to happen in the season from the pilot to the second episode. So the pilot is a method piece where you only find out what they’re talking about at the end. It’s a bit like Jaws (laughs).”
Adapting a true story to film comes with its own challenges. For Coimbra, some key questions included blending real-life characters with fictional characters while respecting the victims and survivors, and faithfully recreating the look and feel of the period. “The way we didn’t sensationalize this was to always keep it grounded and very real,” he emphasizes. “We went through a long preparation with the actors to make sure the family felt like a real family. We wanted it to feel like this was a real world with real people, but the way we did that was by keeping it very free and spontaneous. There’s a lot of improvisation in the series, which makes it feel more alive.”
Regarding the show’s look, Coimbra emphasized its ambition and praised its team of co-creators, including “I’m Still Here” cinematographer Adrian Tejido and “Futuro Beach” art director Marcos Pedroso. “The secret to getting it done was hiring the best experts possible. Once we had these ideas, everything started falling into place.”
Brazil has been on the rise in film and television in recent years, with two films in the past two years receiving multiple Oscar nominations: Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent. Both films are set about a decade before the “radioactive emergency” and deal with the country’s collective memory of the years under military dictatorship. The Netflix series tackles the political climate immediately after the fall of the regime, when distrust of public institutions still persisted.
Coimbra says that like both of his Oscar-nominated films, Radioactive Emergency is a story from the past that “speaks to today.” “You have that same feeling that it can still happen. There’s still a huge divide between the rich and the poor in Brazil, and so is the lack of trust. It’s the same with ‘I’m Still Here’ and ‘The Secret Agent.'” Had these been made 20 years ago, they might not have resonated as much, but unfortunately there are parallels to what’s happening in the world today when we talk about dictatorships. Sad but true. ”
Provided by Netflix
“No one says to each other, ‘Let’s do this.’ It’s a natural movement,” he added of the thematic consistency in Brazil’s recent work. “I’m from Kléber’s generation. We were making short films around the same time, so it’s great to see where we’re going and how Brazilian cinema is resonating now. It’s really powerful and there seems to be interest from all over the world in what we’re doing in Brazil. It took many years of hard work to get here, but it’s finally here.”
During the press tour for “The Secret Agent,” Oscar-nominated actor Wagner Moura, who found international success with roles in Brazilian films after years working in America in major American productions such as “Civil War” and “Dope Thief,” often emphasized the joy of speaking his own language. Coimbra, who is friends with Moura, says he shares this sentiment.
“When you’ve been working outside of Brazil for a while, you start to miss Brazil,” he says. “I know I have to talk about my place, my world, my language, my people. It’s fun to do a show like ‘Perry Mason’ in Los Angeles in the ’30s, but it has nothing to do with my life other than my passion for noir movies.”
When asked what she thought of the show’s success, Coimbra said, “I wasn’t expecting the story to resonate so much, so it was a surprise.” “It’s different with a movie, because people slowly get to it. It takes time. But with Netflix, it booms and then it spreads everywhere in the world. You see people really enjoying it.”
