Through students' testimonies, Rio de Janeiro's middle class is portrayed in a way that highlights their gestures, their tastes, and above all their distance from Brazilian reality.
'The Public Opinion' is a landmark documentary of Cinema Novo, turning its gaze toward Rio de Janeiro's middle class at the height of the military dictatorship. Through interviews about social mobility, consumer aspirations, and political attitudes, the film exposes the contradictions of a group caught between privilege and conformity. A sociological portrait, the film critiques the passivity and conservatism of Brazil’s bourgeoisie, suggesting its complicity in sustaining the authoritarian regime.