"Brazil" (1985)

After all the hype for Gilliam’s “Brazil,” I have to admit I was a bit underwhelmed. That is the danger of cult classics. They tend to be “cult” in spite of some aspect that keeps them from being just “classic.” In this case it all feels a bit under baked. Ideas are there, but not fully developed. Art direction is innovative, but feels like it lacked a bit of money to be fully realized.

That said, you can see where all the admiration is coming from. The ideas here are disturbing in a “1984” kind of way. Gilliam envisions a world where the systems and bureaucracy have fully dehumanized the world. And, while no real world has yet gone as far as Twentieth Century Science Fiction feared, we are as close as we have been since the 1930s and 40s that inspired all that angst. Fear coupled with convenience have created whole societies ready to put their blinders on and stomach anything that promises them security and prosperity. Never mind if it ruins other people’s lives. If “they” aren’t “us” then they don’t count.

The problem is, as in the movie, when a system mistake hurts a “nobody” even the people at the top of such systems are hurt in the long run. Even if it only means you are trading in your humanity for convenience. Even if simple fear of “rocking the boat” causes you to accept indecency.