Neighbouring Sounds (2012) starring Ana Rita Gurgel, Caio Almeida, Maeve Jinkings, Dida Maia, Felipe Bandeira, Gustavo Jahn, Irma Brown directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho Movie Review

Neighbouring Sounds (2012)   4/54/54/54/54/5


Maeve Jinkings in Neighbouring Sounds (2012)

Neighbourhood

In Recife, Brazil a community resides consisting of average people; a stay at home mum who suffers from disturbed nights due to the barking of a neighbourhood dog, a realtor who has some respect in the area as well as a young girlfriend and there are kids who play in the streets and sell stuff on the streets. But like many a community it is not without it troubles including cars being broken in to. When a fledgling security firm come round with their leaflets it is decided that they should act as night guards in the area to protect against break ins and vandalisation of property. But have these people guarding the area brings with it some new issues.

"Neighbouring Sounds" is a movie which requires faith, faith that what looks like it is going nowhere is going to go somewhere. As such it is also a movie which requires patience as well as an appreciation of cinematic art as this is movie which has an artistic flare to its imagery. Add on to that this is a Brazilian movie and I know there will be those thinking no way I am going to be watching that especially at 131 minutes. But if you have enjoyed some foreign language movies in the past then I suggest giving "Neighbouring Sounds" a go as it ends up something quite special.

The thing is that I can't give away what makes "Neighbouring Sounds" special other than to say that surprisingly everything comes together with the introduction of these guards being a catalyst. But along the way we observe the lives mainly of two characters, the realtor Joao who is currently dating the attractive Sofia and then Bea, the mother of two who struggles with a noisy dog disturbing her sleep. Many of the attention grabbing scenes involve Bea be it using a vacuum cleaner to suck smoke out her mouth as she has a secret roll up to a scene involving her washing machine. But I can't say more as you really need to experience these scenes to not only get their impact but also see who pivotal they are in creating characters.

What this all boils down to is that admittedly "Neighbouring Sounds" is slow going to start with as you have no idea where it is going but it is worth sticking with as they pay off is worth it. Not only that as Brazilian cinema has a look and style which whilst different is not off putting which makes it interesting for those seeking more from a movie than just entertainment.


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