As operárias em dois momentos do cinema brasileiro contemporâneo (2003- 2007; 2017-2021)

Abstract

This thesis examines Brazilian films produced over the past two decades connected with the factory environment. The central focus is the ways these films depict female workers and women’s labor. The objective is to demonstrate how contemporary Brazilian cinema dealing with this theme can be divided into two cycles, based on temporal aspects and narrative nuances, even though all the films from this century question the role and confinement of women within the factory environment. In the first cycle (2003–2007), confinement is more subtle and manifests itself symbolically and discursively, whereas in the second cycle (2017– 2021), it becomes more explicit and materializes visually. The central hypothesis of this research is that women are being incorporated exclusively through the realm of labor. While, at first, some form of displacement can still be observed, this effect is entirely undone in the second context. To substantiate these hypotheses, the thesis uses complementary methodologies: on the one hand, the films are examined through a close reading of stylistic elements, such as the positioning of characters within spaces and settings and the framings adopted by the directors; on the other, it emphasizes the articulation of narrative nuances concerning female workers with the historical processes related to the films. Within this strategy of comparing cinematic items and historical context, special attention is given to notable political events connected with the representation of women in organizations speaking on behalf of the working class, such as the three editions of the Women Metalworkers’ Congress at the Metalworkers’ Union in São Bernardo do Campo