Name: AI-5 - O Dia Que Não Existiu
Genre: Documentary
Duration: 56 min
Rating: 8
Cast: Paulo Markun, Márcio Moreira Alves, Maurício Branco

The AI-5 (Institutional Act #5) was definitely the worst and most hurtful law ever created in Brazil politics in all of its history. It came under the military regime on the orders of national security advisers and the then president Costa e Silva, and such law censored all forms of expression, movies, news, plays, books, music, and violations of human rights were completely allowed in order to grant the nation's security against the powers of Communism. That fateful 12 December, 1968 was when the act was presented to the nation as response to an act of defiance by congressman Márcio Moreira Alves, who urged the population to boycott military activities and festivities while many young protesters were being jailed or disappeared due to their opposition to the military government.

Since Alves colleagues didn't vote for his punishment - as demanded by authorities - Costa e Silva created the AI-5, a significant and powerful tool of repression that lasted 10 years.

TV Cultura and journalist/director Paulo Markum takes a look at the events surrounding the bill's creation, Alves' famous singular act and the support he got from his comrades; and the documentary shifts between interviews with participants of those events along with re-enactments from the Congress events during the period.

The film title is slightly misleading: "The Day that Never Happened". It did happened. What could be interpreted as not happening was the fact that a Congress librarian kept the AI-5 documents hidden for several years to protect Brazil's history and for fear that such document could be destroyed by future leaders, in a way to wash away one of the most hideous pages of our history. That sounds a bit an exageration from the lady since the news at the time broadcast the news, they told how the law was going to work and the rest is history...but she prevented that an important and historical document would vanish in the haze.

It's a fine project but it misses the mark time and again by not digging deeper into the extent of how AI-5 was damaging and its importance; and loses plenty of momentum with the recreation of facts with actors delivering the actual (and long) speeches from congress members defending Márcio Moreira Alves. The testimonies from the real figures are nice but there's so few moments with them, and their stories are so poorly or repetitive told that it gets boring at times.

Since this is a film made by a journalist and not a real filmmaker, I'll support and aprove it because he had the facts, the archives and didn't turn into a mess.

It's relevant, important but halfway between being good to reach a very good level. 7/10.

Portuguese-language cinema, spanning Portugal, Brazil, and other Lusophone regions, focuses on history, cultural identity, and the struggles of ordinary people, often framed with poetic or allegorical storytelling. In Portugal, cinema has emphasized meditative pacing and philosophical depth, reflecting on memory and tradition. In Brazil, it has often been politically charged and socially vibrant, highlighting inequality and resilience while experimenting with popular and avant-garde forms.

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The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

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Documentary about a political episode during the Brazilian military dictatorship, which resulted in the issue of the Institutional Act #5 (AI-5), abolishing freedom of opinion in Brazil, and marking the transition to the toughest period of violation of human rights in the country. The episode was the Congress Assembly on December 12th, 1968, in which its members denied permission to punish congressman Márcio Moreira Alves, as was the Government's wish.

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AI-5 - O Dia Que Não Existiu

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