Foreign Pick: Neighboring Sounds (2012)
Much like City of God did a decade ago, I feel as if Neighboring Sounds has changed the game for Brazilian cinema.
After a couple of break-ins around the block, a neighborhood Recife collectively decides to hire a private security firm. The plot itself is barely existent. The story jumps from one character to another without giving us much time to care about any of them, which I suspect is done on purpose. We see the security guards interacting with each other, sharing their past traumas, aiding the neighbors, and yet we get a feeling something’s wrong about them. Their presence slowly creates an anxiety-ridden atmosphere in an uneasy district.
I review films from time to time, and even though I prefer to believe that I’ve got the capacity to appreciate good cinema, I mostly give perfect scores to movies that bring something new to the table. With Neighboring Sounds, however, I didn’t. Not at first, at least. It pains me to admit that my brain couldn’t process it. Some find Harmony Korine movies hard to follow, while others get lost halfway through a Lynch film. It took me two back-to-back viewings to somewhat comprehend the message of Kleber Mendonça Filho’s movie.
The director’s style is certainly unusual, yet fresh and different. Long shots are followed by a variety of short ones. Loud noises come out of nowhere. Secretive neighbors, barking dogs, and other relatively harmless aspects of quiet communities inexplicably give the overwhelming sense that death lurks just around the corner. There’s a particular zoom in with a buzzing noise that is notably terrifying.
Even though it possesses comedic and dramatic elements, Neighboring Sounds could be best described as a horror movie waiting to take place in broad daylight. Nevertheless, if you’re in the mood for something safer, try City of God instead.