O Brado Retumbante (English: Next in Line) is a Brazilian miniseries produced by Rede Globo and directed by Ricardo Waddington. It was originally broadcast from 17–27 January 2012, in eight episodes.
The miniseries uses a documentary tone and movie-like photography to narrate the dilemma of an honest man who becomes president and undergoes the challenge of governing the country, while trying to control his personal weaknesses. It was nominated for an International Emmy Award in 2013.[1]
The miniseries depicts the political drama and conflict experienced by a man who reaches the nation's highest position, Paulo Ventura (Domingos Montagner). Paulo is an exception in Brazilian public life: an honest politician. He exerts all his energy in his fight against corruption. Due to a scheme from the political opposition and his enemies, he is elected President of the Chamber of Deputies to serve as a lame duck until the next election.
By a twist of fate, both the current president and vice-president suffer fatal accidents and, being the first in the line of succession, Ventura is to assume command of the country for the remaining 15-month term. Ventura's new position requires reconciliation with Antonia (Maria Fernanda Cândido), his ex-wife, with whom he had a daughter, Marta (Juliana Schalch), and a trans daughter, Júlio/Julie (Murilo Armacollo). Maria agrees to be first lady on the condition that she is not publicly exposed to the infidelity of troubled marriage. She is also struggling to reconcile with Júlio/Julie, who is forced to leave their home.
Júlio/Julie is a trans woman who has cut ties with her father and lives in the United States, but later returns to Brazil for sex reassignment surgery. Paulo's adversaries, upon learning of his opposition to the procedure, seize the opportunity to tag him as homophobic.
However, Paulo's real trouble lies with the corrupt Floriano Pedreira (José Wilker). Helped by Senator Nicodemo Cabral (Luiz Carlos Miele), a stone-cold articulator, Floriano attempts to defeat the anti-corruption measures and to expose Ventura's personal shortcomings.
A dossier on supposedly illicit funds leads to an impeachment process at the same time that the press reveals the first lady's love affair with an Argentine writer. Dejected, the president renounces his position, yielding his office to Floriano. However, investigations reveal that the dossier had been forged with the help of Tony Abrahão (Leopoldo Pacheco), a businessman who is invested in Senator Nicodemo's political climb. Though he was acquitted, Ventura decides to end his political mission and refuses to participate in another election, despite the pressure from his campaign manager, Fernanda Dummont (Mariana Lima).
On his deathbed, a former president, Jorge Moura (Hugo Carvana), asks Ventura to accept the sacrifice for the good of the country. Paulo reconsiders his decision and returns to the campaign. During Paulo's campaign trail, he confronts Floriano Pedreira in a final heated debate, broadcast live to the entire country.[2]
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Domingos Montagner | Paulo Alberto Ventura[3] |
| Maria Fernanda Cândido | Maria Antonia Ventura[4] |
| José Wilker | Floriano Pedreira[5] |
| Otávio Augusto | Benjamin "Beijo" Ventura[6] |
| Leopoldo Pacheco | Tony Abrahão |
| Hugo Carvana | Jorge Mourão |
| Mariana Lima | Fernanda Dummont [7] |
| Juliana Schalch | Marta Arruda Ventura[8] |
| Alinne Rosa | Alessandra Ferrão[9][10] |
| Cacá Carvalho | Saulo Aires Saldanha (Saldanha) |
| Murilo Armacollo | Júlio Arruda Ventura (Julie Arruda Ventura) [11] |
| Luiz Carlos Miele | Nicodemo Cabral, "O Senador" [12] |
| Maria do Carmo Soares | Julieta Ventura[6] |
| Cristine Peron | Telma |
| Sandra Corveloni | Neide Batalha |
| Valter Santos | Cel. Otávio Werneck |
| Cris Nicolotti | Lúcia Wolf |
| Paulo Ivo | Alcides Barata |
| Ida Celina | Regina |
| Marina Elali | Fátima[13] |
| Jui Huang | Otacílio Júnior |