top of page

Justino

Feature film in the fundraising stage.

Justino_Mercado Filmes_ (1).png

Synopsis

Justino, born in a disadvantaged area of Rio de Janeiro, aims to escape poverty and avoid the humiliations of underemployment that afflict his parents. He opts for education, earning a scholarship to an elite school, but faces bullying and rejection due to being the only black and poor student. These experiences intensify his existential anguish. One night, while watching TV, he discovers the Universal Church and, upon attending a service, has an epiphany, feeling welcomed and experiencing spiritual peace for the first time.

His life begins to revolve around the church, and his charismatic personality quickly propels him upward, catching the attention of the leader, Bishop Edir Macedo, who appoints him as a pastor. Transferred to Bahia, Justino, who hides his gay sexuality, falls in love with another pastor, living an intense love affair. When discovered, the leadership arranges a marriage for him and transfers him to Portugal, where he becomes a celebrity of the Universal Church, aiding in its international expansion. However, he doesn't abandon his double life, getting involved in drugs, corruption, and worldly pleasures. In 1990, transferred to New York as Edir Macedo's assistant, Justino discovers he has AIDS.

Expelled from the church, he begins to live on the streets and conceives a plan to assassinate Macedo, the leader who trained and abandoned him. He lacks the courage to execute the plan, and after an overdose, he is taken in by Danuza, a transgender woman who assists HIV-positive individuals in NY. This experience transforms his life, leading him to rediscover Christianity not in churches, but on the streets, among the disadvantaged.

Typography: Longa-metragem de Ficção

Genre: Drama

Director: José Eduardo Belmonte

Stay tuned

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
mercado logo png_edited_edited.png
bottom of page