Watch Brazil
- R
- 1985
-
7.8 (212,293)
Brazil is a surreal, dystopian science-fiction satire directed by Terry Gilliam and released in 1985. Set in a bleak and bureaucratic future, the film stars Jonathan Pryce as Sam Lowry, a low-level government clerk who becomes embroiled in a bizarre and dangerous conspiracy after falling in love with a woman named Jill Layton, played by Kim Greist.
The film opens with a surreal dream sequence that sets the tone for the entire movie. Sam is a bored and frustrated office worker who spends his days stamping and filing paperwork in a towering, totalitarian government building. He escapes from his dreary reality by dreaming of flying through the clouds with a beautiful, mysterious woman.
Sam's mundane life takes a sudden turn when he is tasked with investigating a minor bureaucratic mistake that led to the wrongful arrest and torture of an innocent citizen. This sets in motion a series of events that pull Sam deeper and deeper into a Kafkaesque nightmare of bureaucratic incompetence and violent repression.
Meanwhile, he becomes fixated on Jill Layton, a woman he glimpses in the government's database while processing paperwork. He tracks her down and begins to court her, but their romance is threatened by the dangerous forces that are closing in on Sam.
The film is full of vivid, offbeat characters and absurdly surreal situations. Robert De Niro appears in a memorable supporting role as Harry Tuttle, a renegade heating engineer who helps Sam escape from the government's clutches. Bob Hoskins plays Spoor, Sam's tough-talking boss who is constantly threatening to fire him.
Gilliam's vision of the future is one of claustrophobic, oppressive bureaucracy, where people are stripped of their humanity and individuality in service to the state. The film's visuals are striking and inventive, with the towering government building coming to represent the suffocating power of the state. The film's dark humor and grotesque imagery give it a nightmarish quality that lingers long after the credits roll.
Brazil was not initially well received upon its release, with many critics finding it confusing and overly bleak. However, its reputation has grown over the years, with many critics now considering it one of Gilliam's masterpieces. The film's themes of the dangers of government overreach and the importance of individuality are as relevant now as they were in 1985, making Brazil a timeless piece of science fiction.
Brazil is a 1985 comedy. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.8 and a MetaScore of 84.