Brazil

Brazil, the movie by Terry Gilliam, made its debut in 1985. The first thing the movie draws your attention to are the omni-present ducts. These are an obvious metaphor for the Internet. Oh, wait, this movie was made in1985? The next thing the movie draws your attention to is a terrorist attack. This is an obvious reference to Bush’s War on Terrorism. Oh, wait, this movie was made in1985? All right, all right- you get the idea. Although I wish the explanation for how this film so perfectly relates to today was that Gilliam has first-hand experience of the time travel that is the topic of his12 Monkeys, unfortunately it is probably more accurate to say it is demonstrative of the fact the history tends to repeat itself.

I surmise that the movie is called Brazil either because it brings to mind a tropical paradise destroyed by human industry or because Gilliam just really wanted to use the creepily cheerful song, “Aquarela do Brasil”, that plays throughout the movie. It takes place in what I can only call the “retro-future.” Reminiscent of those 50’s sci-fi flicks in which the futuristic gadgets look suspiciously like they’re from the 50’s, in Brazil robots look like erector sets, computers are little more than typewriters and instruments of torture look like they come from a traveling doctor’s bag. It is a time when technology is so advanced only the savvy know how to use it, and so cutting edge it never quite works right. It is so depended upon that when a fly causes a type-o that causes an innocent man to be killed, nobody knows what to do except blame somebody else. The main concern of the majority is in saving face- figuratively and literally. There is no reality that anyone wants to accept.

The only escape that Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) has found is in his dreams. But then he actually sees the girl of his dreams, and for possibly the first time, his life is given purpose. Upon the realization that his dreams somehow reflect reality, he realizes he must deal with reality. His reality is that, as an employee of the highly bureaucratic agency assigned to eliminate subversives that might otherwise undermine this carefully regimented society, he is part of the problem. He hopes he can use his status as the son of a debutante to, if not change things from the inside, at least track down the woman in his dreams.

Brazil is an absolutely brilliant commentary on “modern civilization.” I didn’t even mention a great supporting cast, including Michael Palin and Robert De Niro, a subtly hilarious, fast-talking screenplay by Gilliam and Tom Stoppard and an amazing set design which combines Art Deco with low-income housing. Simply put, it is one of the greatest movies ever made.