In Rio de Janeiro, Catholicism mingles with spiritist beliefs from native and African religious traditions to form hybrid practices that combine Christ, the Pope, and Catholic saints with ancestral spirits. Spiritualist Catholics, as well as Protestants who have rejected what they believe to be negative and demonic elements of Catholicism, speak frankly and directly. "One notion I got from this film was that religions can act as overlapping road maps, completely co-relevant guides to the universe. This montage of Brazilian speakers reveals not only the power of collective beliefs, but also some of the pitfalls, contradictions, and disillusions that have been their lot as well. The interviews are frank and warm, and the filmmakers also show snippets of the production process, including participants being paid for their time and watching themselves in their homes. At a certain point it is clear that there is an abiding interest in how things are done, whether it be a cigar and rum-laced ritual of spirit possession or the mechanics of making a documentary film." (Thor Anderson)