BRAZIL

It's only a state of mind.

Director: Terry Gilliam

Actors: Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins and others

Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi

Duration: 132 minutes

Plot: a bureaucrat in a retro-future world tries to correct an administrative error and finds himself becoming an enemy of the state. 

Analysis: Terry Gilliam is hands down an extremely interesting, ingenius and innovative director/writer, one of the best of the 20th century. Not only being a member of the legendary British comedian club commonly known as Monty Python but also a real pioneer of the art of cinematography, Gilliam managed to excite both critics and audicence with Brazil, his most famous movie. In fact, Brazil's scenario was so smart, so unexpected and so ground-breaking that unavoidably affected deeply the majority of Gilliam's later work.

     Regarding the movie itself we may say that till today, thirty years after its shooting, there hasn't been another film capable of antagonizing its originality –many have tried, only to miserably fail. Watching Brazil feels like watching another parallel world through a magic mirror. The novelty and variety of Gilliam's ideas are so extensive and overthrowing that literally throw a punch of surprise and excitiness to the unsuspected viewer's face. The bucolic costumes, the extravagant makeup, the pointy dialogues, the suffocating scenaries, the meticulous performances, the intense music, the clever visual tricks, everything greatly boost the feeling of strangeness and awkwardness. A feeling which may sound unappealing at first but will surely be loved by the viewer as Brazil's plot keeps unrolling. And even if none of the above is good enough to arouse your interest, then do yourself a favor and be patient till the movie's finale only to enjoy one of the most (if not the most) unexpected, bold and enterpreneurial endings in the history of cinema.     

Things to notice:

• Terry Gilliam's unmatched fantasy,
• the controversial finale and
• Robert De Niro's legendary cameo.

Oscar awards (1986):

• two (2) oscar nominations for:

a) Best Writing Screenplay and
b) Best Art Direction - Set Decoration.


Evaluation: 9.1/10

Should be watched tonight if: you want to get lost inside Gilliam's perplexing mind.

Trailer