Life in a middle-class neighborhood in present day Recife, Brazil, takes an unexpected turn after the arrival of an independent private security firm. The presence of these men brings a sense of safety and a good deal of anxiety to a culture which runs on fear.

The acclaimed Neighboring Sounds is critic-turned-filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho’s feature debut. Subtly commenting on class relations in Brazil through the city of Recife’s ominous sounds, it is a sensorial and unique piece of filmmaking, evoking a state of torpor hanging in the hot, heavy air.