Found Memories (2011) , Julia Murat

A stranger brings some changes -- not all of them welcome -- to a sleepy and forgotten community in this drama from director Julia Murat. Jotuomba is a tiny village in Brazil that has been passed over by time; less than a dozen elderly people still call it home, and their lives are governed by a routine they've followed for ages. Madalena (Sonia Guedes) wakes early each morning to bake bread, and she takes the fresh loaves to a tiny store run by Antonio (Luiz Serra), where they share a cup of coffee and often contentious conversation.


 Some days, the villagers gather for church services and a meal; otherwise, Madalena passes the rest of the day writing letters to her late spouse or visiting the local cemetery. But for the first time in years, something unexpected happens in Jotuomba when twenty-something Rita (Lisa E. Favero) passes through town. Taken by the beauty and quaint charm of the village, Rita decides to document Jotuomba with her homemade camera; she asks Madalena if she can rent a room, and while Madalena agrees, that doesn't mean she cares for Rita's presence or her often dismissive attitude towards the people living in the town she discovered. However, with time Rita realizes there are people with stories to tell within this village that's slowly fading away. Historias Que So Existem Quando Lembradas (aka Found Memories) received its North American premiere at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival.