State of Fear (2026) – Review and Summary

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“State of Fear” Film Details

• Director(s): Pedro Morelli
• Writer(s): Pedro Morelli, Julia Furrer
• Distributor: Netflix
• Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 43 Minutes
• Public Release Date (Netflix): February 11, 2026
• Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Thriller
• Content Rating: Rated TV-MA
• Primary Language: Non-English (Portuguese)

Movie Summary

Utter chaos. That is what a section of São Paulo is like as the government plans move the leaders of a powerful gang known as the Brotherhood, and put them into isolation. With a history of taking over prisons and starting riots, upon learning of the government’s plans, they escalate things to the next level and take to the streets.

In the process of doing that, they endanger the lives of Dalva and Romero, who are soon to be parents. Also, they complicate Cristina, the brother of their founder, Edson, and their legal counsel, trying to get back Edson’s daughter, Elisa, who was kidnapped by the police.

Cast and Characters

Cristina (Naruna Costa)

• Character Summary: Cristina, often called Cris or “The Counsel,” or “The Counselor,” often acts as the legal representative of her brother’s organization, the “Brotherhood.” She is also raising her brother, Edson’s daughter, Elisa.

Elisa (18-year-old: Camilla Damião and Child: Yetunde Hammed)

• Character Summary: The daughter of Edson Savage, Elisa believes in her father’s original message of justice regarding the organization he founded. After all, as a dark-skinned Brazilian woman, born to a dark-skinned Brazilian man, she has seen what colorism and classism do to people like her. She pursues advocacy currently through rap, even though living with Cris in a nicer part of the city does undermine her credibility.

Borges (David Santos)

• Character Summary: Borges is a young cop, talked into kidnapping Elisa.

Edson (Seu Jorge)

• Character Summary: Edson is the founder of the Brotherhood organization, which originally was supposed to protect people from the tyranny of the police. However, after Edson’s death, its original purpose got diluted due to gang activity.

Romero (Elizio Vieira)

• Character Summary: Romero is a cop trying to get Dalva, the mother of his child, to a hospital to give birth, after the riots start.

Dalva (Stefani Mota)

• Character Summary: A woman, with no affiliation with the police or Brotherhood, beyond Romero, caught between the battles, trying to give birth safely.

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

You Get Enough Where You Don’t Feel Like You Need To Watch The Series First [81/100]

State of Fear is a spin-off movie of the two-season show Brotherhood, which last premiered a new season in 2022. You may think you would need to binge this show before watching the movie, and, for the most part, you don’t. You get the gist of why the Brotherhood are angry, through seeing Edson and what he went through, you get why they started, to a point, so you’re given just enough.

Will I say things fully make sense? Like, where is Elisa’s mother, or getting a full sense of what it means to be dark-skinned in Brazil? No. Culture-wise, there is very little tell, some level of show, but the film is mainly dedicated to Cris running around the city trying to rescue Elisa. I wouldn’t say State of Fear pushes you to watch Brotherhood.

With that said, though, Cris does enough heavy lifting to get you to see the Brotherhood as anti-heroes, if not a rebellious force born out of good intentions. Then, through Elisa’s interaction with Borges, you get the sense that the police see themselves as the underappreciated and underpaid good guys, trying to maintain order and make up for the money they don’t get paid.

It basically creates what could be seen as the Cliff Notes version of the show, which can allow you to feel satisfied regarding world-building, to allow you to get into the main storyline of Cris trying to rescue Elisa.

On The Fence

It’s Not Difficult To Lose Investment At Times [74/100]

Here is where the potential problems come in for State of Fear: There are a lot of B-storylines, likely linked to the show, going on while Cris is trying to rescue Elisa. They aren’t distracting and, again, I wouldn’t say they push you to want to watch the show, but they do take up screentime. You see the current Brotherhood leadership dealing with government crackdowns. Dalva and Romero’s story, which seemed like it would be the focus, disappears for the majority of the movie.

On top of that, there is some pull for Cris to negotiate peace, as “The Counsel” representing the Brotherhood. But, there are also those who question her value and whether she deserves to remain involved with the organization. It’s a lot, and honestly, none of it feels strong enough to place a notable investment in.

The reason why? The majority of people in the Brotherhood don’t stand out. There is no one with charisma, lines that are unforgettable, or even a doctrine that makes you think. The same goes for the police and those who represent politicians.

At best, State of Fear presents Cris and Elisa’s storyline as just the one you happened to be focused on, as so much else goes on in the city. At worst? It might be the only storyline that isn’t completely reliant on explosions, gunfire, and ego.

Overall

Our Rating (77/100): Mixed (Divisive)

State of Fear, if you like rescue mission movies featuring someone who doesn’t have military or a special kind of training, is decent. The world it builds is detailed, even if the characters may feel shallow, and if you like what you see, you don’t have to worry about this being a one-and-done. There are two seasons on Netflix to further allow you to dive deep into what is grazed over and likely allow you to deep dive.

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