Thursday, April 28, 2011

Brazil

In an Orwellian alternate reality emphasized by bureaucracy, a pencil pusher from an affluent family spends his time fancying himself a hero in his dreams and saving the woman he loves, although he seems content with his rudimentary existence. One day he is sent into the field to try to reconcile an administrative error when he actually bumps into the girl from his dreams, literally. As he attempts to find her, his nightmare existence worsens and he soon finds himself to be an enemy of the state. Brazil is from the imaginative mind of writer/director Terry Gilliam, who paints a fantastic comic satirical portrait here. With Jonathan Pryce ideal as the starry eyed, wimpy bureaucrat, he is surrounded by many fine (mostly) British actors: Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Jim Broadbent, Bob Hoskins, and Robert De Niro in a great bit part. The film meanders at parts and is largely nonsensical, but it nice moments of comic underlining and wraps up in a highly original and well conceived ending. When all is said and done, I can't help but admire Gilliam's scope and creativity. There's no denying he is an original. However, I just think that I am not attuned to his sensibilities as a filmmaker and his works are just not my cup of tea. Though it doesn't quite float my boat, I'm sure there are many who can gain satisfaction from watching this highly inventive film.