Limite was released in 1931 and was shot in black and white. The film is a surreal, dreamlike exploration of identity and memory through a non-linear narrative. The three characters are unnamed and have no dialogue, with the only sounds coming from the haunting musical score.
The film opens with the three characters stranded on a small boat in the middle of the ocean, with no food or water. As they struggle to survive, memories of their past lives begin to surface. One of the women recalls her old life in an asylum, while the other remembers her time as a cabaret dancer. The man has visions of being a gambler and a thief.
The film's cinematography is stunning, with mesmerizing shots of the ocean and the characters' faces. Peixoto employed unconventional camera angles and editing techniques to create a surreal atmosphere. The use of music adds to the dreamlike quality of the film, with each scene accompanied by a different piece.
Limite was a commercial and critical failure when it was released, but it has since been recognized as a masterpiece of Brazilian cinema and one of the most important avant-garde films of the 20th century. Peixoto never made another feature film, and the print of Limite was thought to be lost for many years until it was rediscovered and restored in the 1990s.
