ARTS

Brazil's exaggeration gives film an otherworldly feel

We're in the future in a society controlled by conformity. Machines can operate without our consent in apartments that look like cubicles, and the best part is, anything can still happen. We're trapped in Brazil; Terry Gilliam film of god knows what.

Exaggeration goes far in this film. A ten-story high Japanese Samurai, multitudes of identically dressed people, and gross looming buildings are just some examples. The movie continues further, with tiny one-person cars and bosses who call workers by designated serial numbers.

These unusual images are handled down to every minute detail, making Brazil visually stunning. How can people dress like they're from 1940s America, if they are in a technological fantasy that belongs to no place or time (at least any we know of)? There's no sensible answer. That is what makes the surreal atmosphere of Brazil apparent. Every little detail has been accounted for.

The main character, Sam Lowrey, is one of many non-descript faces. He works in the mailroom of The Ministry of Information (just think Big Brother). He's happy to be unnoticed, but maybe as a klutz like himself has it, a series of events make his little meager life noticeably out of control.

First there's his overbearing mother with a face that has been stretched out like a carcass. There's also an obnoxious friend in high places, played by Michael Palin, a tough pushy woman who he falls in love with in his dreams, and a repairman named Harry Tuttle. Also, Robert DeNiro plays a vigilante to whom a great deal of this mess is attributed. All of these distinct characters contribute to Sam's difficulties, and once they start, they're hard to dominate.

Many of the things that happen in Brazil are depressing if not horrid. People get killed and brutalized by an over-dominant government, who does more messed up things than what we see or hear about. That, on top of the multitudes of terrorist bombings, make this setting a frightening one.

The movie contributes to this morbid mood through the dark way these images are presented. Things are severe and presented in blacks and greys. But the use of black humor carefully loosens the severity of these problem. It is an effective weapon. How many people can say that they ate calmly at a restaurant while it was being bombed? On top of that, who can say that the waiter's reaction to this string of events involved placing a Japanese screen to shield the sight of chaos from the customers? A rare occurrence. Brazil leads the viewer to believe this can easily happen in an amusing way.

Somehow all of these things get tied together, but not without some amazing effort to get us there. This could get tiring. The plot develops slowly, and much of the time, nothing is divulged until the very end of the scene. At a little over two hours, this is a hefty wait.

However, patience leads to a nice reward. Brazil's a complex film, but in time, it comes together. In a world of conformity Brazil offers the viewer some pretty bizarre answers. Just assert your individuality and believe in the insanity, it's the only way out.

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Copyright © 1997, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 126, Number 9, November 14, 1997

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