State of Fear Review
Director: Pedro Morelli
Date Created: 2026-02-11 18:51
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State of Fear Review: Directed and written by Pedro Morelli alongside Julia Furrer, Netflix’s Brazilian crime drama Salve Geral: Irmandade stars Naruna Costa as Cristina, alongside David Santos as Borges, Seu Jorge as Edson, Hermila Guedes as Darlene, Ênio Cavalcante as Anselmo and Marcélia Cartaxo as Dona Ângela. With a runtime of 1 hour and 44 minutes, the film serves as a continuation of the Brotherhood (Irmandade) series and attempts to expand its gritty criminal universe into a large-scale, city-wide crisis.
State of Fear Review
In Netflix’s Brazilian thriller State of Fear, mayhem breaks out across the city of São Paulo, where a young woman, Elisa, who is connected to the Irmandade faction, is abducted by a gang of corrupt officers. Trying to retrieve her is her aunt Cristina, who happens to be head of the Irmandade faction. The Irmandade faction launches an attack on the police, creating a series of violent events that will cause terror and chaos in the city. A continuous cycle of shootings, riots, and moral showdowns takes place in the quest for justice, loyalty and survival, while attempting to navigate through a broken system.
Structurally, Brazilian film State of Fear is an incredibly ambitious film. From its beginning, there is a strong sense of foreboding, aided by the sound of thunder and police sirens echoing throughout the rain-drenched streets, coupled with the impending sense of doom created by the intensity of the subject matter.
Some scenes illustrate the complete disintegration of the city of São Paulo, and, unfortunately, the film’s ability to do so is primarily due to its use of camera angles in presenting the story, Instead of simply being a setting, São Paulo becomes an actual character in the film through an extensive use of monochrome colour schemes, low-light interiors, and frenetic street activity to visually express the gritty, dirty, and earthy elements of a city in total upheaval.
Some of the action scenes appear to be designed to impress the audience with their scale and pace, especially during the long shots that capture the violent scenes. These scenes are created using a combination of long tracking shots and tight close-ups, and they create an impressive feeling of chaos and urgency. The experience of being a part of the violent scene is heightened by the use of loud sounds and fast-moving images. The downside to this approach is that although visually these scenes may be impressive, they give the impression of being created more for the purpose of showcasing the filmmaking abilities of the filmmakers ‘ abilities than anything else.
The main problem with the State of Fear movie is the way it is written. It is a story about fear and justice and how some systemsre corrupt. It does not make you feel these things very deeply. The character Cristina, who is played by Naruna Costa, is interesting because she is not a hero. Cristina does not always do the thing, which could make her a more complicated and interesting person.
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The way the story is written, Cristina just gets scared and reacts and gets angry over and over. This does not show all the things that Cristina could be. Its story, about fear and justice, could be a lot better if it explored these things more. Beyond wanting to save her niece, we rarely get insight into her internal conflict, her past or the emotional weight of her decisions. As a result, her journey feels repetitive rather than transformative.
Another problem is how much the movie relies on its source material, the series Brotherhood. If you haven’t watched it, you’ll probably feel lost. Some of the relationships and conflicts are presented as if the viewer already knows the history behind them, rather than taking the time to establish it within this story. It’s trying to make the viewer piece things together, which makes it difficult to become emotionally invested, especially in key points that aren’t established properly.
The pacing isn’t helping much either. The second act is dragging with multiple confrontations and escalating violence that begin to feel like they’re all running together. Maybe the point is to show how fear is spreading and how chaos is fueling itself, but it’s hard to watch when it becomes so repetitive.
The cast can only portray their characters realistically according to how narrow and restrictive the material was initially written. Naruna Costa’s performance was filled with emotion, but the script inhibited how much she could utilise that emotion to express herself. While the supporting players try to give their characters a sense of depth, the lack of development makes it hard for them to be relatable beyond the surface level. You can tell that there is the possibility of developing more complicated characters and a more detailed storyline, but the film does not make a serious effort to explore these possibilities.
Netflix State of Fear Review: Summing Up
Although the visuals and overall production values in Netflix’s State of Fear represent an amazing piece of cinema, without an emotional element that resonates with audiences, the film fails to deliver upon its promises. While the film creates an engaging and intense atmosphere, many of the characters do not develop beyond being underwritten; therefore, without the companion series, they are unrecognisable to the audience engaged in the overall storyline.
While the movie possesses an abundance of strength, in my opinion, through sight and sound, I believe it has no lasting emotional impact. If you enjoy the Brotherhood series franchise, you may appreciate the film. However, in the context of being a stand-alone feature, it does not provide enough to leave you feeling fulfilled or complete.
