Brazil

"Brazil"

Terry Gilliam, 1985

"Brazil" borrows much from George Orwell's novel, 1984, about a society living under the reign of a "big-brother" state. Like the novel, we follow a hapless bureaucrat, named Sam (Jonathan Pryce), and his journey through a bureaucratically-driven society that is dominated by the repressive state. The government's strong-arm tactics are carried out by the Ministry of Information, an ironic title given that the agency is used to crush differing opinions and force absolute loyalty to the state.

While Gilliam probes the repercussions of a state that has excessive powers, his film's primary focus is on facades, both literal and figurative. Nearly all of these characters, save for our protagonist, are facile beings - Sam's mother (Katherine Helmond), who uses her prominent position to move Sam up the bureaucratic ladder, against his wishes, and who has her face grotesquely stretched out to maintain a youthful appearance, is the epitome of this rampant superficiality. And in a breathtaking crane shot, we discover that large billboards put in place along a roadside obstruct views of the countryside because there is no more countryside - the land, ravaged by a government bent on expansion, is as barren as the moon.

What is most fascinating about the films is not what is said, but rather what is unspoken. Despite saying "positive" things, many of these characters exude a grotesque quality - much of this is due to Gillian's brilliant visuals. Faces are often lit from underneath to produce a menacing quality, and the use of wide-angle lenses and low-angle shots create an appropriately dystopian atmosphere that is similar to that of "A Clockwork Orange." Because of the beautifully implemented lighting, sound, and model-work, this decrepit city has a tactile, almost living quality to it - when a maintenance cover is lifted in an apartment, we hear an ominous breathing sound emanating from hundreds of ducts and wires like a creature from another world.

Strangely, I don't find the central plot all that interesting, or consistently presented; it essentially centers around Sam's efforts to fix a glitch in the system, despite the government doing everything, not necessarily on purpose, to sabotage him. Gilliam seems more interested in creating a purely visual experience with his film, rather than a completely coherent one with well-developed characters. Much of the film's running time consists of Sam's tangential adventures, which primarily center on his search for an androgynous woman, who may or may not be a terrorist, he has a crush on. We also witness Sam's dreams, in which he transforms himself into a winged warrior, which connects all parts of the film, and exteriorizes his desire to escape his confining world, a desire that ultimately comes back to haunt him in the end.

Rating: 8.5

First Viewed: 7/4/08, on DVD
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