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This Portuguese-French comedy contrasts two men, Henrique (portrayed by the film's director, Joao Cesar Monteiro) and Jean de Dieu, appearing in a production of Strindberg's The Inferno. Offstage, Henrique is a seaman with an adventurous life, and de Dieu is the play's director. Onstage, Henrique plays God to de Dieu's Lucifer. Henrique is introduced by de Dieu to a writer who scripts scenes in which the two meet the mythical Ariane. Shown at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival, this idiosyncratic film serves up an eccentric entree of philosophical concepts with some comedic entremets. The "J.W." of the film's title is John Wayne, a reference to Henrique's fascination with Wayne's swagger.