Stolen Story

On the verge of finishing high school, the best friends Pipa and Cauê face the dilemmas of adulthood: she is dealing with the end of a relationship, while he struggles with the death of his father and financial hardship. For a school project, they decide to film a documentary about UFOs in São Bento do Sapucaí, but their research uncovers the threat of a mining company that could flood the town. Together, they transform the project into a record of resistance, preserving the community’s memory, culture, and identity.

Director’s Statement

Stolen Story is a feature film that highlights the cultural richness of small communities often erased from dominant narratives. Set in the Serra da Mantiqueira mountain range, the film invites the audience to inhabit a different sense of time — one shaped by contemplation, collective life, and relationships molded by the landscape. Within this setting, young people move freely, even as they grapple with restlessness: the desire to leave, seek new experiences, and escape an apparent monotony.

The relationship between generations intensifies these impulses. While older residents carry memory and wisdom, the protagonists, Pipa and Cauê, face the dilemma of staying or leaving. The narrative weaves this coming-of-age story together with urgent issues such as economic exploitation and environmental preservation, revealing the impact of major decisions on vulnerable territories.

When a company threatens to submerge the town in order to exploit natural resources, it is not only the physical space that disappears, but an entire collective history — the origin of the film’s title. The protagonists’ journey mirrors this collapse: the end of adolescence intersects with the possible end of the community itself.

By deciding to film a documentary, Pipa and Cauê also transform the film’s language. The camera re-signifies everyday life, incorporating real faces and testimonies while blurring the line between fiction and reality. In this way, the act of recording becomes a form of resistance against imminent erasure.