The Implacable Order of Things

Two generations of ordinary Portuguese villagers share a town with Bosch-like grotesques in this grim, repetitive debut fantasia from Peixoto. In a poor, unnamed town, an unrelenting sun beats down on José, a shepherd, as he's told by the devil that his wife is having an affair with a giant. Meanwhile, one of a pair of twins (joined at the pinky) falls in love with a widowed cook; at the age of 70, she has a child. Years later, José's son falls in love with the wife of his cousin Salomão, and, again it is the devil who smilingly bears the news to the cuckolded man. Several of the townspeople find refuge from stasis and malaise in suicide. Through shifting points of view (the female characters are not named), repeated phrases and the allegorical setting, Peixoto aims to manifest a subtle connection between the townspeople, a kind of superconsciousness. Throughout, plot takes a back seat to the bleak, stultifying atmosphere. The result is a nihilistic look at rural life in particular and human affairs in general. (Aug.)