If you’ve ever scrolled through social media, you’ve probably seen the phrase “come to Brazil!” (or “Brasil,” if it’s the Portugeuse spelling) a million times, especially in the comment sections of famous musicians’ profiles. Now, a new documentary, created in association with Rolling Stone, is spotlighting the devoted fans that turned the comment into a global rallying cry.
“It became a meme me and my friends used [when] we missed someone and wanted them to come visit us,” say director Lina Abascal, who first came across the phrase online. But the phrase took on new life as she explored it further. “Come to Brasil, to me, is a story that blends in-person and internet communities and an opportunity to dive in a humanize something that may come off as trivial or campy to outsiders,” Abascal says.
The film highlights four Brazilians, Thaisa, Netto, Júnnior and Bruno, who are all super fans of major American pop stars. It follows their pursuit to bring their favorite musicians to their homeland so they can connect to them in real time. Thaisa has been following Beyoncé since her Destiny’s Child days, while Júnnior has been a fan of Madonna‘s for nearly 40 years. Netto turned to Lady Gaga and her music to help him navigate his queer identity, and Bruno is such a dedicated Taylor Swift fan that he camped outside of Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos ahead of the star’s Eras Tour stop there.
It was important to Abascal to move beyond what she calls “the frantic teen girl idea of a fan” archetype and instead portray the vast variety of people that fans embody. “I connected to their personalities and passion,” she says of the cast. “I liked that each of them had a unique way they connected to their star of choice.” The vibrant pack of characters was brought into the fold thanks to researcher Duda Carvalhaes, who Abascal calls “the unsung hero of this project.”
Throughout the documentary, Come to Brasil zooms out and shows why these super fans are so dedicated to bringing stars to their country. “I think the phrase ‘come to Brazil’ maybe it started as a hopeless joke and then transformed into a movement,” Netto says in the documentary. Abascal hopes viewers understand their efforts on an a new level. “I want audiences to feel moved by the passion of these fans and see themselves in them in some way,” she says. Maybe not everyone has camped out to see Swift perform, but every person does have something they care about deeply. “We all have things that matter to us and often that isn’t because of the thing itself but the community and value it has brought to our life,” Abascal adds.
She also wanted to challenge the notions of pop fandom with the film. “Pop music fandom is predominately made up of women and queer people and I think that’s why it is often brushed off, when really we are such a core part of an artists’ worldwide success and relevance,” Abascal says. She hopes Come to Brasil can offer those skeptical of fans and their intensity a different perspective: “I wanted to paint a human-first picture of fans that feels earnest.”
Come to Brasil Credits:Director & Producer – Lina Abascal
Producers – Gia Rigoli, Vero Kompalic, Tadeu Bijos, Isabel Vallenilla
Executive Produced by Alexandra Dale, Justin Lacob, Emiliana Ammirata, Bernardo Portella, Esteban Zuluaga, Guilherme Meirelles, Frankie Greek
Associate Producer – Chica Barbosa
Cinematographer – Gemma Doll-Grossman
Edited by Dri Sommer
Presented by Discordia and Cosmocine
In Association with Rolling Stone Films, XTR and Documentary+
Steve Cohen*
