André, a teenager, lives in an industrial town in Brazil near an old aluminum factory. One day, a factory worker, Cristiano, suffers an accident. Asked to go to Cristiano’s house to pick up clothes and documents, André stumbles on a notebook, and it’s here that Araby begins — or, rather, transforms. As André reads from the journal entries, we are plunged into Cristiano’s life, into stories of his wanderings, adventures, and loves.
Acting
Non-professional cast delivers devastating authenticity.
Writing
Cristiano's notebook entries are pure literary gold.
Direction
Seamless handoff between two directors, two stories, one soul.
Director
João Dumans
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The title references a 1912 James Joyce short story, but inverted—here, 'Araby' becomes a Brazil of exploited workers, not exotic longing. The directors studied at Brazil's renowned Belo Horizonte film school.
Actor Aristides de Sousa was an actual factory worker the directors met during research. His performance is so natural because Cristiano's stories mirror his own undocumented labor across Brazil.
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