Was the impeachment of the former president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, the first blow in a political coup to end the Workers' Party (PT)? 

This is the thesis of the documentary by Brazilian filmmaker Petra Costa, which has won a nomination at the 2020 Oscars with a film that has drawn as much applause as it has raised blisters. This is further proof of the political polarisation that the Latin American country is experiencing. 

"The Edge of Democracy" raises the question among the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of Dilma Roussef in 2016. Rousseff was replaced by the conservative vice-president Michel Tremer who, in the opinion of the left-wing, was a first soft blow that would lead two years later to the ascent of the extreme Right-wing Jair Bolsonaro to the presidency.

"The extreme right is spreading like an epidemic", Petra Costa. 

"The truth will prevail," former PT president Luiz Lula da Silva, then a mentor to Rousseff, posted on Twitter. He has recently been freed pending an appeal of his conviction for corruption. He also praised "the seriousness with which (Costa) has narrated this important moment in our history."

While the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democratic Party), which was a key party in the challenge, displayed irony by congratulating the filmmaker on her "nomination for best fantasy film. 

The Secretary of Culture of the Bolsonaro government, Roberto Alvim, said during an interview with Folha de Sao Paulo that Petra Costa's documentary was nothing more than fiction and that her nomination was proof of the culture wars being fought in all countries. 

For her part, the filmmaker came out of the comments reaffirming the urgency of telling this story "at a time when the extreme right is spreading like an epidemic." 

The Brazilian film competes with four other documentaries: "American Factory", "The Cave", "For Sama" and "Honeyland". The winner will be announced on February 9. Meanwhile, the documentary "The Edge of Democracy" can be watched on the Netflix platform. 

What will happen if Costa gets the victory? Will there be any retaliation from Bolsonaro? Only time will tell.