Neighboring Sounds

A Brazilian reflection on urban insecurity, in a culture based on fear. We follow the lives of people living in an upper middle class neighborhood. Episodes of car break-ins trigger the residents into fearing that their protective bubble will burst. Being rich in a land with millions of poor always bears a risk. Cheerful scenes are accompanied by a disturbing noise-like soundtrack, producing a constant restlessness. The architecture also plays an important role in creating the nervous atmosphere: thick iron bars cover doors and windows. The arrival of a private security firm brings a certain feeling of safety, but things are not as they seem to be. rk

Kleber Mendonça Filho is a journalist graduate and has worked as a film critic. His short films The Little Cotton Girl (2003), Green Vinyl (2004), Eletrodoméstica (2005), Friday Night Saturday Morning (2006) and Cold Tropics (2009) have won over 100 awards in Brazil and abroad. Neighboring Sounds (2012) is his first feature.