Neighbouring Sounds review

Alarms, light sensors, guard dogs, servants: the residents of a sun-drenched Recife street aren’t short of protection.

Yet they still hire a private security firm headed by ex-cop Clodoaldo (Irandhir Santos), whose offer of a night-patrol service masks a dubious agenda.

There are echoes of Michael Haneke and Paul Thomas Anderson in this first-rate debut from Brazilian writer/director Kleber Mendonca Filho.

With its inventive sound, masterly lensing and diverse mix of characters, Filho reveals a society haunted by both its past and by the threat of future violence.