History Film / OAutoDaCompadecida

* HornedHairdo: The Devil sports these in his human form, though he grows actual horns in his GameFace.

* ObviouslyEvil: The Devil, naturally. Though he tries to present himself as AffablyEvil to the cast, he has HornedHairdo. At any rate, this particular version is more understated compared to the two previous cinematic versions, which were a red-wearing masked bandit and a BigRedDevil respectively, whereas in the play he is wearing white.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Severino the bandito is quite obviously a riff on UsefulNotes/{{Lampião}}, down to the same backstory (entire family murdered by the police) and RedRightHand (being blind of one eye).

** Justified in the movie that Severino saw his parents being killed when he was a mere child and the trauma drove him to insanity. When recalling this, Severino murmurs in sorrow that he never wanted to have survived (his mother shielded him with her body while being shot) and spent his life challenging death. Jesus proclaims that due to his insanity, Severino couldn't be held responsible for the things he did.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: [[spoiler:What saves Dora, Eurico, Father John and the Bishop at the end of the movie is that each one of them [[FaceDeathWithDignity faced their deaths with dignity]] in their own way - Eurico forgiving Dora for her [[YourCheatingHeart cheating]] and [[TogetherInDeath dying embraced to each other]], while the priest and the bishop forgive Severino's lieutenant just as he is about to execute him]].
* WretchedHive: Downplayed, but still there. Early on, Severino wanders the town dressed as a beggar, but none of the main characters gives him any sort of help. He later tells his lieutenant that there wasn't a single ''soul'' in the town that would help him whatsoever, indicating the entire town was composed of some very selfish people. [[spoiler: This is later supported by Satan chucking most of the dead from the city straight into Hell.]]
* YourCheatingHeart: The baker's wife Dora is cheating him with at least three different men at the same time.

* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMen: Rosinha falls in love with [[LovableCoward Chicó]], even though he is completely spineless and pretended to be a valiant man to impress her. She admits she saw it through a long time, but it didn't matter because she loves him anyways.

* ObviouslyEvil: The Devil, naturally. Though he tries to present himself as AffablyEvil to the cast, he has HornedHairdo. At any rate, this particular version is more understated compared to the two previous cinematic versions, which were a red-wearing masked bandit and a BigRedDevil respectively, whereas in the play he is a ManInWhite.

* TheDevilIsALoser: He certainly got shades of this trope. While most of the cast fears him with good reason, [[spoiler:Jack]] keeps making wisecracks at his expense, he spends his scenes avoiding Jesus' face because his holy power is too much for him and even tries to emulate his physical appearance at one point before Jesus tells him to cut that out. Its more obvious in the original play where he is [[ManInWhite dressed in all white]] in an attempt to pretend to be God.

* AdaptedOut: Certain characters from the original play were written out from the movie such as the friar, the sacristan and the demon assistant, due to how minor their roles were.

* BewareTheSillyOnes: Severino's lieutenant is a highly amusing comic relief character for his very [[PunchClockVillain casual approach]] to his life as a bandito. He's also the character with the highest bodycount, killing [[spoiler: pretty much the entire main cast except Chicó, Rosinha and Severino. He even kills Jack.]]

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Jack makes a racist remark against Jesus, who is black in this movie, who takes it stride, but not without calling him out about it. When the Bishop tries to quiet Jack down over his remark, Jesus tells ''the Bishop'' to be quiet instead, because he could see that he, too, was surprised to find out that Jesus looked, well... nothing like he knew, but wasn't being honest as he withheld his surprise.

* InherentToTheSystem: Our Lady Mary argues that a good chunk of mankind's sins come from the inherent injustice of the world they've built, more precisely in the case of [[spoiler: Jack's misdeeds coming as a way to escape poverty]].

* BewareTheSillyOnes: Severino's lieutenant is a highly amusing comic relief character for his very [[PunchClockVillain casual approach]] to his life as a bandito. He's also the character with the highest bodycount, killing [[spoiler: pretty much the entire main cast except Chicó, Rosinha and Severino. He even kills Jack.]]

* ChekhovsGunman: The half-blind beggar who keeps bumping into the main characters is a lot more relevant than he appears, given he's [[spoiler: actually none other than the terrifying Bandito leader Severino de Aracajú in disguise.]]

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Severino the bandito is quite obviously a riff on UsefulNotes/{{Lampião}}, down to the same backstory (entire family murdered by the police) and RedRightHand (being blind of one eye).

* AdaptationDistilation: The 2000 version takes aspects and characters from Suassuna's other works such as Rosinha, Corporal 70 and Vincentão. Much of Chicó's subplot is lifted from these works.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: The baker's wife Dorinha throws herself at every bad boy that catches her fancy and cheats on her husband behind his back with the local tough guy Vincentão. This trope goes to truly ludicrous levels when [[spoiler:she also momentarily shows attraction to Satan when he reveals his GameFace]].

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Jack makes a racist remark against Jesus (who is black in this movie, who takes it stride, but not without calling him out about it. When the Bishop tries to quiet Jack down over his remark, Jesus tells ''the Bishop'' to be quiet instead, because he could see that he, too, was surprised to find out that Jesus looked, well... nothing like he knew, but wasn't being honest as he withheld his surprise.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:A large number of the main cast dies during Severino's attack on the city, but they are forgiven in the afterlife; Jack is restored back to life and Chicó succeeds in marrying Rosinha. Unfortunately, she gets disowned by her father and the three are forced into the run.]]
* CrapsackWorld: While the movie is played for laughs for the most part, towards the end its illustrated that the Brazilian hinterlands are a extremely harsh place to live.

* EasilyForgiven: Severino is the first one allowed entry to heaven, despite his sins actually being worse than the rest combined - while the other sinners range from being greedy, adulterous or arrogant, he is an actual murderer and wanted criminal. Even worse, the four sinners have to enter the Purgatory instead of Paradise. This trope is actually called out by ''{{Satan}} of all people'' when he laments that "people suddenly turn good when they die''.

* GameFace: The Devil stops using his human face and takes on a more monstrous visage after Jack pisses him enough times.
* GuileHero: Jack has used his wits and cunning to survive.

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Curiously, this is used in defense of someone else rather than their own, when the Virgin Mary justifies that Jack had to rely on his own wits just to barely survive in the arid wasteland that is the Northeast.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Jack makes a racist remark against Jesus (who is black in this movie), who takes it stride, but not without calling him out about it.
* PunchClockVillain: Severino's lieutenant isn't particularly AxeCrazy as his boss and [[JustFollowingOrders only does as he is told]]. He even comments this when he is about to [[spoiler: gun down Jack for tricking him into murdering Severino]]:
-->''This is the first time I kill someone for pleasure!''

* StrawMysognist: After Jesus is convinced to spare the sinners by sending them to the Purgatory instead of Hell due to his mother Holy Mary's advice, the Devil complains "Its always like that when a woman rules over a man".

* VillainHasAPoint: {{Satan}} wants to eternally damn the main cast after their deaths. Though to be fair, the accusations against them aren't wrong or inaccurate: the priest and the bishop were [[CorruptChurch corrupt as heck]], Eurico and Dora were bad bosses to their employees, Severino killed many innocents and Jack's charges include inciting simony and adultery, scamming and '''premeditated murder'''!

* HangingJudge: The Devil is characterized this way. He wants to punish the sinners and the wicked without a just trial and when forced to play district attorney in the main characters' trial, he is trying his best to get them as screwed as possible.

''O Auto da Compadecida'' or known among English viewers as ''A Dog's Will'' is a 1999 Brazilian movie and regarded as one of the country's greatest classics, based on a play of the same name by Ariano Suassuna. The story takes place the impoverished, dry deserted region of Northeast Brazil and follows two friends trying to get by using their wits and silver tongue: [[GuileHero the lively João]] (played by Matheus Nachtergaele) and [[LovableCoward the cowardly Chicó]] (played by Selton Mello). The two men work as assistants to the local baker and get wrapped up in several misadventures including [[TitleDrop tricking a priest to deliver the last rites to a dog as part of its will]], trying to marry a landowner's daughter or risk loosing [[Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice a lump of flesh]] as the price and an fatal encounter with a bloodthirsty bandit lands the main characters on a trial by the Devil, Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

* CorruptChurch: The priest and the bishop are characterized as extremely greedy. Hell, the reason the priest even agreed to administer last rites to the dog was because João claimed its will was supposed to hand him over money as inheritance. In their trial, the Devil's charges them with simony and disdain for the weak.
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:João]] receives a second chance instead of going to Hell.
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:A large number of the main cast dies during Severino's attack on the city, but they are forgiven in the afterlife; João is restored back to life and Chicó succeeds in marrying Rosinha. Unfortunately, she gets disowned by her father and the three are forced into the run.]]

* TheDevilIsALoser: He certainly got shades of this trope. While most of the cast fears him with good reason, [[spoiler:João]] keeps making wisecracks at his expense, he spends his scenes avoiding Jesus' face because his holy power is too much for him and even tries to emulate his physical appearance at one point before Jesus tells him to cut that out. Its more obvious in the original play where he is [[ManInWhite dressed in all white]] in an attempt to pretend to be God.
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: [[spoiler:João]] is constantly doing this to the Devil's face, in fact, while everyone else is crapping bricks out of fear of pissing him off, he has no qualms about telling him EvilSmellsBad. It actually verges on to DoNotTauntCthulhu when the Devil loses his patience and tries to drag everyone to Hell by force.

* GameFace: The Devil stops using his human face and takes on a more monstrous visage after João pisses him enough times.
* GuileHero: João has used his wits and cunning to survive.

** Even though its not quite the same thing since he is already dead, but [[spoiler:João]] gives up on his own salvation and just resigns himself to [[AFateWorseThanDeath an eternity of torment and torture in Hell]] after bargaining for the other's souls to enter Purgatory. He believes his soul couldn't be saved and no excuses, [[spoiler: but Virgin Mary is able to successfully save him]].

* JesusWasWayCool: Emmanuel is extremely nice to the sinners, even to João when he makes a insensitive remark about him being black, while also calling him out about it.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Curiously, this is used in defense of someone else rather than their own, when the Virgin Mary justifies that João had to rely on his own wits just to barely survive in the arid wasteland that is the Northeast.

* PatronSaint: The Virgin Mary to João and other characters. TruthInTelevision as the Brazilian Northeast is staunchly Catholic and her figure is seriously revered by the population.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: João makes a racist remark against Jesus (who is black in this movie), who takes it stride, but not without calling him out about it.
* PunchClockVillain: Severino's lieutenant isn't particularly AxeCrazy as his boss and [[JustFollowingOrders only does as he is told]]. He even comments this when he is about to [[spoiler: gun down João for tricking him into murdering Severino]]:

* VillainHasAPoint: {{Satan}} wants to eternally damn the main cast after their deaths. Though to be fair, the accusations against them aren't wrong or inaccurate: the priest and the bishop were [[CorruptChurch corrupt as heck]], Eurico and Dora were bad bosses to their employees, Severino killed many innocents and João's charges include inciting simony and adultery, scamming and '''premeditated murder'''!

* GuileHero: João.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: The baker Eurico and Dora make peace with each other before being executed by Severino's lieutenant. The priest and the bishop also forgive their executioner seconds before their deaths. [[spoiler:This is what ended up saving them from Hell]].

* HangingJudge: The Devil is characterized this way. He wants to punish the sinners and the wicked.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: The baker Eurico and Dora make peace with each other before being executed by Severino's lieutenant. The priest and the bishop also forgive their executioner seconds before their deaths.

* YourCheatingHeart: The baker's wife Dora is cheating him with at least three men.

** EasilyForgiven: Severino is the first one allowed entry to heaven, despite his sins actually being worse than the rest combined - while the other sinners range from being greedy, adulterous or arrogant, he is an actual murderer and wanted criminal. Even worse, the four sinners have to enter the Purgatory instead of Paradise. This trope is actually called out by ''{{Satan}} of all people'' when he laments that "people suddenly turn good when they die''.
* Justified in the movie that Severino saw his parents being killed when he was a mere child and the trauma drove him to insanity. When recalling this, Severino murmurs in sorrow that he never wanted to have survived (his mother shielded him with her body while being shot) and spent his life challenging death. Jesus proclaims that due to his insanity, Severino couldn't be held responsible for the things he did.

* EasilyForgiven: Severino is the first one allowed entry to heaven, despite his sins actually being worse than the rest combined - while the other sinners range from being greedy, adulterous or arrogant, he is an actual murderer and wanted criminal. Even worse, the four sinners have to enter the Purgatory instead of Paradise. This trope is actually called out by ''{{Satan}} of all people'' when he laments that "people suddenly turn good when they die''.

* EasilyForgiven: Severino is the first one allowed entry to heaven, despite his sins actually being worse than the rest combined - while the other sinners range from being greedy, adulterous or arrogant, he is a murderer and wanted criminal. Even worse, the four sinners have to enter the Purgatory instead of Paradise. This trope is actually called out by ''{{Satan}} of all people'' when he laments that "people suddenly turn good when they die''.

* RightHandMan: The lead bandit Severino is blind in his right eye.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:A large number of the main cast dies, but they are forgiven; João is restored back to life and Chicó succeeds in marrying Rosinha. Unfortunately, she gets disowned by her father and the three are forced into the run.]]

* JesusWasWayCool: Emmanuel is extremely nice to the sinners, even to João when he makes a insensitive remark about him being black.

* CorruptChurch: The priest and the bishop are characterized as . Hell, the reason the priest even agreed to administer last rites to the dog was because João claimed its will was supposed to hand him over money as inheritance.

* MagicalNegro: Jesus (or Manuel as he is called in the movie) is depicted as a black man.

* CorruptChurch: The priest and the bishop are characterized as . Hell, the reason the priest even agreed to administer last rites to the dog was because João claimed its will was supposed to hand him over.

* VillainHasAPoint: {{Satan}} wants to eternally damn the main cast after their deaths. Though to be fair, the accusations against them aren't wrong or inaccurate: the priest and the bishop were [[CorruptChurch corrupt as heck]], Eurico and Dora were bad bosses to their employees, Severino killed many innocents and João's charges include scamming and '''premeditated murder'''!