The film The Wave and the Brazil that needs to be rescued.

I decided to watch a film I hadn't dared to see when it premiered in theaters. At the time, I thought its main message would be that human nature is prone to evil. Not at all. The Wave (2009, available on YouTube), far beyond depicting the implementation of a totalitarian, fascist system in the classroom, provokes reflection on what can make dictatorships attractive, and why they should be avoided, or rather, what tragic consequences they can bring. Today I realize: what I didn't want to witness in the cinema, I needed to see happen in reality, among the people around me. Reflecting on the film, relating it to the current moment in the country, is painful, but important...  

The script is based on an experiment that took place at a school in Palo Alto, California, in 1967, which, believe it or not, was transported to Germany (there's also a 1981 American film available on YouTube). It's curious to note that, initially, the young people find the history of Nazism boring, as they already know it by heart, and completely reject the idea of ​​something similar happening again. Warning: from here on I will give some spoilers for the movie, so if you want to watch it first, wait to finish reading this...

The group of cool students, as teenagers usually are (and the teacher, in this case – an identification that will bring them closer), agree to participate in a different project. To understand what autocracy is, they accept the proposal to, for a week, follow the teacher's orders in class. The "orders," partly due to the demands of the teaching itself, are acceptable, interesting, and even attractive. Although at first the idea of ​​standing to speak is uncomfortable, the explanation of the beneficial effects on the body, with the activation of blood flow, is captivating. Similarly, marching seems silly, but when it is shown as a way to interfere in the "boring" teacher's class, it is reconfigured as something fun and slightly transgressive. 

An unforeseen consequence, at first, is that the feeling of unity provoked by the actions carried out together begins to overly excite some participants. Outside the classroom, new, more transgressive and dangerous ideas emerge, put into practice without hesitation. Printing stickers with the logo leads to the action of spreading them throughout the city, in private or public spaces, even invading the symbolic field of street groups. Creating a specific greeting (like the gun sign) quickly leads to the proposal of requiring it as a password and turning it into a form of power, of excluding those who do not belong to the group.

The teacher's limited contact with the students (and his ego, satisfied by the power acquired), prevents him from perceiving the unfolding consequences of the experience. The feeling of belonging to a closed group empowers the young people and, in some cases, significantly modifies their behavior. The film shows these changes in a direct and worrying way, which naturally leads to strange moments of suspense in banal situations, when we already understand that something violent is going to happen. Everything is escalating, until the teacher discovers some of the unexpected consequences outside the school grounds...

What was meant to be, for the students, proof of the failure of authoritarian systems surprisingly turned into a positive experience for some. Seeking the good of the group, and feeling supported by it, gave the young people a greater meaning to life, taking them beyond the individualism so dominant in modernity. There are, exemplarily, two students who suffer different effects, in a very... didactic way. The outstanding athlete, when prompted to reflect on the influence of the group on everyone, and on himself, recognizes that he has begun to act differently. And this scares him.

The one who felt completely despised by his father and friends became the bravest and most dedicated participant in "The Wave," going from invisible to valued. This truly gives meaning to his life and fulfills him. Aware of at least some of these consequences, the teacher realizes he has gone too far and decides to put an end to the "game," which will generate yet another unexpected and tragic situation. 

It is inevitable to compare this scenario with what has been happening in Brazil, which has led us to this lamentable present. It was a great sadness for me, and for many, to see friends and family become morally and physically disfigured (hate changes one's appearance) by becoming supporters of an extremely unqualified candidate (in every sense of the word). Collectively, we saw a country that was internationally respected, with a people full of hope for their own future – to the point of making it a hope for the world as well – become subservient to others and be totally demoralized on the international stage. We are even experiencing the unnecessary loss of countless lives as a consequence of a pandemic that is more deadly in our land due to the absence of a concrete and efficient plan for its control, and the succession of mistakes, such as the reliance on questionable remedies and the lack of support for healthcare professionals. 

In the film, the teacher's influence on the students is logical; he is an adult prepared to instruct, guide, and provide life models for the young people. This, in addition to his laid-back attitude, of course, makes him a natural leader. In our country, on the other hand, the election of the "leader" was anything but natural. It was the consequence of collusion by some institutions, which should have been critical and enlightening, seeking the good of society, but instead chose to mask the personality and experience of an unfit candidate to make him acceptable... 

A serious parliament, a defender of social and human rights, would not have condoned the deposition of an honest president in an absurd distortion of principles, disguised as a democratic decision. Furthermore, it would have immediately punished the homage to a torturer, held in the very house of the people. A judiciary befitting its role, in turn, would have taken fairer actions, defending democracy with dignity and preventing a coup from being blatantly disguised as impeachment. A press fulfilling its role as a watchdog of the other branches of government would have clearly highlighted this entire criminal charade. In presidential campaigns, it would have emphasized the candidate's lack of political experience in the past, and the numerous and deplorable public displays of a character with violent, discriminatory, sadistic, and, why not say it, pathological tendencies.

The mainstream press preferred to portray this previously invisible (in the sense of not having demonstrated any value through his actions in the political arena) politician as a hero. Good marketing advice and some fake news transformed him into a leader; an alleged attack allowed him to assume the role of martyr, in addition to justifying his absence from debates, something like Queiroz explaining his failure to appear for depositions with health problems, which, however, did not prevent him from going to banks to make deposits (there are videos showing this). 

Returning to the film, it makes explicit how the exaggerated empowerment of a previously despised individual makes it difficult, and even impossible, for him to relinquish the power he has gained. And that is what we are waiting to see now, in real life, without having chosen to buy a ticket, unfortunately. What will be the outcome for the man who, without any conditions for it, became the most prominent figure in national politics, when forced to confront his true identity? And will those who are part of the institutions that are either negligent or complicit have the courage and honesty to acknowledge the mistakes they made, which contributed to bringing us to this point!? Everyone should be held accountable for the mea culpa that has been repeatedly leveled at the PT... 

If we can return to the point where we lost our way in democracy, it's possible to quickly resume growth as a nation, as an economy, and as humanity, rediscovering the path that leads us to the recovery of lost values. Right now, we need hope, determination, and persistence. Above all, we need to believe in our capacity, as Brazilians, to change the history of our country again, just as Lula, a true leader and teacher, teaches. Or, as João Guimarães Rosa said, what life [still] wants from us is courage...