Rating: 7.5/10
Firstly, let's get this out of the way: the film has absolutely nothing to do with the country of Brazil. It's called that because of
the theme song.
Brazil is one of the most influential works in steampunk architecture, and a big influence to political sci-fi in general. The influence of its distinct visuals can be seen even in anime. It is often called a cult film, but it's quite mainstream by today's standards.
The story takes place "somewhere in the 20th century", in an unnamed dystopian country (obviously Britain though). A tyrannical government, proud of its "perfection", monitors every citizen closely. People rely on mostly hydraulic robots to (very inefficiently) do their work, and all this machinery is owned and maintained by the government-run megacorporation Central Services. Everyone and everything is wrapped tight in red tape. It's a world obviously influenced by George Orwelle's Nineteen Eighty-Four, which depicts a similar society where all the choices are made for the people by the government.
The main character Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is a cog in this giant machinery. Though from a rich family, he is unambitious and has a dead-end job in the Ministry of Information. In his dreams though, he sees himself as a strong, heroic man, flying through the clouds to a beautiful blonde woman (Kim Greist) who calls out to him.
A bug in the government machinery results in the execution of one Henry Buttle instead of the renegade thermal engineer Henry Tuttle (Robert De Niro). Sam is sent to make amends with Buttle's family, and incidentally sees the blonde woman from his dreams. To track her down again, he uses his rich mother's influence to get promoted to the elite intelligence agency, Information Retrieval.
Now here's the thing. Through his eyes we see the dirty and shocking secrets of Sam's world, which he himself continues to ignore and focus solely on finding the woman.
That is the genius of this film. If you focus only on the obvious and seemingly important details, you will end up unsatisfied. But pay attention to what Sam ignores, and you get a very interesting look at the workings of the government.
The film is a dark comedy in the first half. You probably won't laugh outright, but you'll be chuckling every minute. Sam has a good sense of humor and great comic timing. He also has the feel of a man who just wants to be left alone, and Jonathan Pryce portrays this quite well. Additional characters like Sam's boss and mother provide laughs with their stupidity and pomp.
There's a tone shift in the second half. The film becomes a lot more serious and dark. There's also an unexpected and well constructed twist at the end. Check the analysis for some insight on the ending.
Brazil is all about atmosphere and symbolism. The steampunk architecture is very imaginative, particularly in Sam's house. Other small things like the computers and vehicles add to the immersion. No effort has been spared to make the world feel coherent and complete. The fantasy world from Sam's dreams has some very good special effects for 1985. Costumes are well made, reflecting both retro-futurism and the social gap.
Music is suitable, but not particularly noticeable. You tend to focus more on the visuals. One exception is the beautiful leitmotif, Watercolor of Brazil, which is often sung with varying lyrics appropriate to the situation.
Acting is exceptionally good. Though some additional characters may appear to overact, it only adds to one's impression of the government.
There are some flaws in the film. More attention could have been given to the Tuttle sub-plot, which never receives much exposition. The main plot is a little too simple towards the end. There are also two inconsistencies. Given the nature of the film, though, these are forgivable in face of the magnificent world Terry Gilliam built for us.
Bottomline: A seminal sci-fi film. Great to look at, and entertaining, with solid performances. There's no reason to skip this one, almost everyone likes it.
