High-Rise

Gabriel Mascaro's documentary goes into nine penthouses in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Recife and talks to the people living in them. The questions are simple: why do you live here, what do you see when you look down, what does security mean. The answers become steadily more unguarded, with people stating what they think about inequality, politics, fear and prejudice without filtering it, and the film's force is in that candour. The camera looks down from balconies and the city stays at a distance. Mascaro does not interpret, he records. The tower here is not a metaphor but a direct map of class. It played at more than thirty festivals. Who it is for: viewers who like observational documentary and are curious about class in Brazil. Who it is not for: anyone wanting narrative and commentary, since the film only listens.