Being a hostage to anyone must be a harrowing experience that takes some getting over.
Even if you escape, you will carry a certain degree of PTSD which could lead to trust issues, becoming housebound or something even worse.
This is the opening of the Brazilian feature Property, which was recently screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Luckily, the lady in question gets away and sets off with her husband to their secluded home with farmlands surrounding.
What she didn’t know was her husband was laying off a slew of workers on the grounds which turns ugly and descends into a different kind of home invasion horror.
There is a morally grey area being explored here, as the people losing their jobs become the ‘villains’ whereas their rich paymasters, one of which survived a terrorist attack, are hunted down in a harrowing fashion. Director Daniel Bandeira creates a host of intriguing characters on both sides, and also plots devices such as a bullet proof car, which becomes part of one of the more triumphant deaths in the film.
Within the group, there is dysfunction too, as some would like a peaceful compromise to the proceedings whereas some are baying for blood. This includes an older man, who becomes hellbent on taking out the wife, no matter the cost.
Property does not pull its punches, showcasing harrowing violence with a vicious streak that may make owners of businesses think twice before crossing their workers again.
Property is a whole new kind of home invasion horror.
Property screened as part of the Edinburgh Film Festival 2023.
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