Brazil (dir. Terry Gilliam, 1985)

 The world Sam Lowry lives in is one that is not kind to humanity. Tubes, wires, and inane machinery fills the place. Bureaucratic procedures dominate every aspect of human life, requiring paperwork for every single bit of information. The rich are insanely rich while the poor live in complete abject poverty, victims to the constant machine within the world of this film. Within it, is it possible to live a true, real life fantasy? Watching this made me feel desolate in the fact that within this world, it's impossible to truly live out that fantasy. Even if you find your dream girl, even if you can manage to escape the fascist, bureaucratic nightmare of capitalism, at a certain point there is simply no escape. If the film was just that then I would feel that desolation, but what makes it worth watching is how instead of trying to critique it Gilliam instead embraces the inane dream that Sam Lowry attempts to indulge himself into. The world is bleak and desolate, but within that there is plenty of room to satirize and critique. It's entertaining seeing how the humans within this world still attempt to function despite the endless amounts of paperwork and dysfunctional machinery, but it also serves as a reminder what kind of world we might end up living in if we choose to forget our humanity.

I think what makes the character of Sam so interesting to follow is his foolish attempt to break out of the world within Brazil. Mild mannered, no life outside of work, and still relying on his mother he is presented as someone who doesn't have much ambition or drive. This is precisely what makes it so profoundly interesting when he finally does have the opportunities that are all presented to him, but I would like to think that he simply can't achieve what he wants because of the world that has shaped and formed him. He is a loser PRECISELY because of the environment he was put into. An environment where he has never truly practiced being ambitious or sure of himself, and because of that no matter how hard he tries he will never achieve the peaceful ending within his mind. As Jack says at the end, "I think he's truly lost his mind". He can only achieve what he wants within his dream because he's too much of a loser in reality to truly grasp it. It sounds harsh on his character but I really do pity him, he never has had a chance to be a human so of course he would fail.

Visually this film is very striking, the smog of the city fills every shot outside, making you feel like you are suffocated within the world of Brazil just like the characters. Along with that I've never seen a movie with such an interesting take on a futuristic dystopia. Technology is extremely inconvenient, filled with plenty of tubes, wires, and tiny monitors that need to be blown up with distorted glass. It truly feels unique and feels like the precursor to a lot of the "badpunk" kind of aesthetics you see in the early 2000's.

Overall this was an incredibly unique film and experience, I'll be thinking about this from time to time and it has completely made an impression on me. I will never forget some of the scenes I have experienced in this film.