Best dark & gritty Portuguese movies on Netflix in India

By the KyaDekhu team · Updated 23 October 2026 · Availability for India from JustWatch, ratings from IMDb

15 movies on Netflix in India match this list, with an average IMDb rating of 6.1. Ranked by vote-weighted IMDb rating and popularity.

1. 

   1. The Edge of Democracy (2019)

   Movie · Portuguese · 2h 1m · Documentary · IMDb 7.3 (16.7K votes)

   Family-friendlyDark & grittySeriousCold & detached

   A cautionary tale for these times of democracy in crisis—the personal and political fuse to explore one of the most dramatic periods in Brazilian history. With unprecedented access to Presidents Dilma Rousseff and Lula da Silva, we witness their rise and fall and the tragically polarized nation that remains.

   Netflix
2. 

   2. 7 Prisoners (2021)

   Movie · Portuguese · 1h 33m · Drama, Crime · IMDb 7.1 (10.6K votes)

   MatureDark & grittyCold & detachedEdge-of-seat

   An impoverished teen seeking to escape the clutches of a human trafficker must weigh living up to his moral code against his struggle to survive.

   Netflix
3. 

   3. Apocalypse in the Tropics (2025)

   Movie · Portuguese · 1h 49m · Documentary · IMDb 7.5 (3.1K votes)

   Cold & detachedDark & grittyFamily-friendly

   Through deep examination, this documentary from Oscar nominee Petra Costa explores the profound impact of evangelism on Brazil's political landscape.

   Netflix
4. 

   4. The Best Mother in the World (2025)

   Movie · Portuguese · 1h 45m · Drama · IMDb 7.3 (836 votes)

   Dark & grittyEdge-of-seat

   To escape her abusive husband, garbage collector Gal packs her two young children, Rihanna and Benin, onto the top of her cart and heads across São Paulo to her cousin’s house. As she struggles to avoid the dangers of the streets along the way, she convinces the children that they are on a big and exciting adventure. W

   Netflix
5. 

   5. Eloá the Hostage: Live on TV (2025)

   Movie · Portuguese · 1h 25m · Documentary, Crime · IMDb 6.5 (866 votes)

   Edge-of-seatMatureDark & grittyCold & detached

   A tragic hostage case from 2008 Brazil unfolds through unseen diary entries, family interviews, and media coverage, as a 15-year-old girl is held captive by her ex-boyfriend for 100 hours while TV networks broadcast it live.

   Netflix
6. 

   6. An Invisible Victim: The Eliza Samudio Case (2024)

   Movie · Portuguese · 1h 41m · Documentary, Crime · IMDb 6.4 (1.2K votes)

   Cold & detachedMatureDark & grittyEdge-of-seat

   A star goalkeeper threatens a woman who is pregnant with his child. Her pleas for help go unanswered in the shadow of his fame — then tragedy strikes.

   Netflix
7. 

   7. Turn of the Tide: The Surreal Story of Rabo de Peixe (2025)

   Movie · Portuguese · 1h 29m · U/A 16+ · Documentary, Crime · IMDb 6.5 (466 votes)

   Cold & detachedDark & gritty

   In June 2001, hundreds of kilos of cocaine washed up in a Portuguese village. This gripping documentary reveals the long-lasting impact on the community.

   Netflix
8. 

   8. A Life Too Short: The Isabella Nardoni Case (2023)

   Movie · Portuguese · 1h 44m · Documentary · IMDb 6.1 (2.0K votes)

   Dark & grittyCold & detachedDialogue-drivenMature

   When a 5-year-old girl falls from her father's apartment, her mother embarks on a quest for justice — and is put under the national spotlight.

   Netflix
9. 

   9. Nelma Kodama: The Queen of Dirty Money (2024)

   Movie · Portuguese · 1h 35m · Documentary, Crime · IMDb 5.4 (229 votes)

   Cold & detachedDialogue-drivenDark & gritty

   Out of prison, notorious black-market currency trader Nelma Kodama exposes her part in a major Brazilian corruption scandal.

   Netflix
10. 

    10. Nando Between Two Worlds - A Sintonia Film (2026)

    Movie · Portuguese · 1h 49m · Crime, Thriller · IMDb 4.6 (377 votes)

    MatureEdge-of-seatDark & grittySerious

    Caught between family life and his obligations to the criminal underworld, Nando faces an impossible choice about where his true loyalties lie.

    Netflix
11. 

    11. The Killer (2017)

    Movie · Portuguese · 1h 39m · Action, Western · IMDb 6.0 (3.1K votes)

    Visually stunningCold & detachedMatureEdge-of-seat

    In lawless badlands, reclusive Cabeleira sets out to discover the fate of his gunman father and grows to be a feared assassin himself.

    Netflix
12. 

    12. Elize: Shadows of a Woman (2026)

    Movie · Portuguese · 1h 33m · Thriller, Crime · IMDb 6.0 (4.4K votes)

    MatureCold & detachedDark & grittyEdge-of-seat

    In this retelling of a real case, a former escort discovers her wealthy husband's infidelity and struggles to cope as betrayal poisons their marriage.

    Netflix
13. 

    13. State of Fear (2026)

    Movie · Portuguese · 1h 43m · U/A 16+ · Action, Thriller · IMDb 4.9 (796 votes)

    Fast-pacedEdge-of-seatVisually stunningMature

    As São Paulo erupts in an unprecedented wave of violence, a lawyer with underworld ties must strike a deal with the police to rescue her kidnapped niece.

    Netflix
14. 

    14. Outlaw (2024)

    Movie · Portuguese · 1h 20m · Action, Crime · IMDb 5.2 (1.2K votes)

    MatureVisually stunningEdge-of-seatDark & gritty

    At the age of nine, Rebeca is sold by her grandmother to the bookseller who ran Rocinha. Disputed by bicheiros and drug dealers, the community is going through changes in power. Rebeca becomes the wife of the chief drug dealer and, with the death of her partner, his successor. The electrifying trajectory of crime, viol

    Netflix
15. 

    15. Overhaul (2023)

    Movie · Portuguese · 1h 40m · Action, Thriller · IMDb 4.9 (1.0K votes)

    Fast-pacedVisually stunningCold & detachedEdge-of-seat

    When truck racer Roger loses everything, he receives a tempting but dangerous offer: to work as the getaway driver for a gang of thieves.

    Netflix