“O nome da loja é Durval Discos"

the role of contraries in the construction of meanings of the filmic narrative

Abstract

Using the concept of contraries, this article presents an analysis of the construction of meaning in the Brazilian feature film Durval Discos (Anna Muylaerte, Brazil, 2002). From an interdisciplinary perspective, it will be analyzed how the contraries are used, either in opposition or juxtaposition, in elements of diverse kinds (both verbal and nonverbal) in filmic narrative. To achieve this goal, the work of Sigmund Freud and the Theory of Yin and Yang will be used as theoretical references. Thus, it will be presented a discussion on the contraries as an epistemological category and an analysis of the meaning construction through the symbolical aspects of signs and other narratives present in the plot, with particular emphasis on the leitmotiv of Durval: the song “Mestre Jonas” (composed by Luiz Carlos Sá, Zé Rodrix and Gutemberg Guarabyra), a playful version of the biblical story of Jonah inside the fish.