Trauma, narrative and memory in documentary bus 174

Abstract

bus 174 (José Padilha, 2002) deals with the kidnapping of a bus (line 174) in Rio de Janeiro city in 2000. The documentary narrates in a sequential way the beginning, the evolution and the end of the event and, in parallel, tells the story of life of the kidnapper Sandro do Nascimento. It is this duality that interests this article, which focuses on the testimonies and archival images in the light of the discussion about trauma and its related themes, such as memory and narrative. It starts from the idea that the trauma is the fruit of a social and cultural conjuncture, always related to contextual demands. Therefore, the way in which the documentary narrates the story of the protagonist triggers the hypothesis that, in constructing an unwanted memory, Bus 174 gives a life in trauma, that is, a superlative condition of a state of inequality that escapes rationality and disrupts social and personal ties.