Brazil

I think this was the film ever film to make me feel overly depressed. Primarily because, of the ending that is most well-known out of like three different endings.It made be fear the future and how one day this might be me in that world. It just reflected on me at such a young age (maybe 9) the feeling of what I now know is totalitarianism thrown in with just whacked out science-fiction tale. To me Brazil along with others that came out in the 80s like, Scanners, Toys, Akira, Blade Runner, etc.was one of the greatest times for science-fiction to be released. It was so dark, and morbid, and depressing all roled into one because the story was so far out and full turmoil and the endings were not usually you're usual fairy happy endings. Never. This was a whole new era of science-fiction of it's own and I sort of feel that Terry Gilliam isn't recognized enough for this masterpiece. I dare even challenge whether or not I prefer this over Blade Runner.

In a highly structured and bureaucratic state, the government has installed extreme and highly counter-productive measures for which to track down terrorists. A "bug" in the system mixes up the last name of a terrorist (Tuttle) and an innocent man (ironically enough Buttle). Thus, the wrong man (Buttle) is arrested and killed while Tuttle continues to roam free. Sam Lowry (Jonathan Price), an average man with a mother who "knows people" and is always trying to set her son in a higher ranking position in the government to which he always declines, is assigned to investigate the error. At the same time, Jill Layton (Kim Greist), Buttle's neighbor, is trying to report the mistake to authorities. Due to the extremely inefficient bureaucracy, she finds the process to be very tedious. Meanwhile, Sam, who has been dreaming about Jill, gets sidetracked by his fantasies and ends up also being a victim of the counter productivity of the government. The government soon sees Jill as befriending the terrorist, Buttle, and suspects her of aiding him and makes it the mission to apprehend and kill her. One day, Sam returns home to find that his air-conditioning is broken and he calls for Central Service to come and fix it. The terrorist, Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle (Robert De Niro), intercepts his call and comes and installs a type of device that messes with the governments bug devices and befriends Sam.

The worlds technology is by far a spectacle of retro 70s technology just a way more grimier. It's almost as if the entire film was set up to be a sort of slap stick cartoon. The comedy in the film is very open despite the depressing atmosphere in which it is surrounded by. I suppose that this film wouldn't be as depressing as, Dark City, per say but, it has it's moments. The the idea of the government surrounding you and your own family is far past caring about your own personal concern or feelings is awful. It's such a beautiful balance though between the harsh truth of reality, and the limitless extent of imagination that lies within the head of Sam. It's like Terry Gilliam was trying to tell us no matter what happens with the world in the future the one place they can never control us at is in our minds. That, that is what holds us so unique to everyone else in the world.

trailer