Portrait of Valter Photograph by Vik Muniz, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio

They’re such incredibly cheerful, resourceful people that you just can’t believe it. At that point I thought, holy smokes, this film is going to be brilliant.

Did you ever imagine how deeply involved you’d become?
VM: No, not at all. To begin with I had too much prejudice. It was only after I’d been to Gramacho for the first time that I realized how approachable, friendly, smart and sophisticated these people were. They’re products of a very challenging working environment so they develop faculties that aren’t available to us. They have a very keen sense of humor. To be able to live there, they have to convince themselves that this place is a good place — that they are proud to be there. A lot of it has to do with denial but they have to assume a posture, and it’s predominately positive.
LW: Vik was surprised but honestly, I wasn’t. I could have told him that you can’t help but fall in love or get emotionally close to the people you’re working with, and that all kinds of magical stuff was going to happen.

One of the more surprising aspects of the film was how funny and joyful the catadores are despite the horrors of the landfill and the circumstances that brought them there.
LW: It explained a lot when I discovered that the socioeconomic choices these people faced were the following career options: prostitution, stealing, begging, or drug running.