The small village of Toritama is a microcosm of relentless capitalism. Each year, more than 20-million pairs of jeans are produced in make-shift factories. The locals work non-stop hours. Carnival is the only leisure moment of the year, when they flee to the beaches in search of ephemeral happiness.

In contrast to the quiet town of director Marcelo Gomes’ memories, the contemporary reality of Brazil’s “capital of jeans” is one of unregulated, incessant labor. The inhabitants of this unusual place and the sounds of its factories are the core of this warm, delicately observational documentary.