Aquarius is a 2016 Brazilian–French drama film directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and starring Sonia Braga as Clara, the last resident of Aquarius building, who refuses to sell her apartment to a construction company that intends to replace it with a new edifice. It was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. The film generated uproar in Brazil due to its political connotations, especially because it was released at the apex of the country’s political crisis. The film’s cast and crew actively positioned itself against what they considered to be a coup d’état in Brazil, showing protest signs at Cannes. A number of controversies has been raised over the film, including its nonselection as the country’s entry to the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards by the Ministry of Culture’s committee, which has been seen as a supposed act of retaliation by Brazil’s new government.
