The Mighty Spirit

Spirits that temporarily possess your spouse so they can tell you something, reincarnations, visions: it's all part of life in Brazil. That said, Brazilians are hardly dogmatic about this "Spiritism," as Catholicism is equally important for most of them. The word for this mix of faiths is Umbanda, and in Brazil, crises of conscience are few and far between. Brazilians are both open and relaxed about how they experience this combination of religions. Because director Eduardo Coutinho makes no attempt to remain unseen, the interviewees warm right up to the crew and almost spontaneously grab a seat and begin telling their very special stories. Like Theresa, who misbehaved in her former life as the Queen of Egypt and must now live in poverty as punishment. Or Elizabeth, who declares quite certainly that she's an atheist ("I believe in life and what I can see"), but is quick to add that she does believe in spirits. The fact that many people are getting baptized in the Umbanda faith is worrisome for the local priest, as they were already baptized as Catholics when they were children. As one woman puts it, "I'm a Catholic but I also believe in the spirits." And would suggest that it this simple.