This ironic tragicomedy explores the fragmentation of collective memory, the instability of oral history in the face of official discourses, and the precarious existence of marginal communities in the age of neoliberal capitalism. A narrator (Nelson Xavier) tells the story of a small town in the Javé Valley whose residents face the imminent construction of a hydroelectric dam that will inundate their lands and erase their stories. In a desperate attempt to preserve their town, the residents enlist the help of Antônio Biá (José Dumont), an irreverent scoundrel and the only literate adult, to document with “scientific” rigor Javé’s historical significance. Soon the singular narration turns polyphonic and fragmented when multiple, discrepant accounts emerge about the town’s origins. Finally, even though words—oral or written—prove insufficiently powerful to stop the fast-advancing waters, the stories of Javé Valley survive in their multiple forms.

Vera R. Coleman

Arizona State University