O som ao redor

In this assured and astonishing feature-film debut, life in a middleclass neighbourhood in present-day recife takes an unexpected turn after the arrival of an independent private-security firm. Their presence brings a sense of safety but also a good deal of anxiety to a culture which runs on fear. For the most part O SOM AO REDOR is set in a single street. There, amidst the towering apartment blocks, lives the patriarch Francisco, who owns much of the property in the area, along with an estate in the country. Francisco’s grandsons also live there, one contributing to the family business while the other engages in petty crimes for the fun of it. Bia, a mother of two, spends all her time in her apartment smoking weed, while plotting how to get the neighbours’ dog to stop barking. The security firm arrive offering protection but do so with a strong hint of menace too, and through their interactions with the street’s residents of different classes, a complex hierarchy becomes apparent. Kleber Mendonça Filho has created a masterful and searing reflection on class, architecture, violence and noise. (Sydney Film Festival)