Levels of Reality: Brazil

In most normal films and television shows we watch, we find that reality and humanity are typically mimicked. There is order and societal rules that many of these works try to follow. However, it was difficult to identify this type of allusion to normalcy and order in the film Brazil, directed by Terry Gilliam. Perhaps this was the nature of the satire presented in the film and perhaps it was another element altogether, but from its onset, Brazil does not so much as claim to be a film of truth and credibility- much of it is presented as hypothetical, extreme, and exaggerated. Despite this superficiality, or even specifically because of it, the film draws us in and grabs our thoughts and we compare reality to the other ends of the spectrum – a feat that allows a deeper level of reflection. The shallowness directs our thoughts to its depth and commentary on those things which are “normal” and that we do see in everyday American life.

The movie quickly introduces Sam’s dreams, and we witness him soaring on top of the world with grandeur white wings. All of a sudden, Sam’s alarm clock goes off and we know we are once again placed in reality. As this movie proceeds, however, the distinction between this reality and his dreams become increasingly difficult to distinguish between. They merge and overlap to the point where Sam eventually makes his dreams his own reality when the burdens of his life become overbearing. Hidden in the depths of his thoughts, clearly apparent to the viewers, is Sam’s desire to be free from the shambles, society, and the government that is in constant control.

A reality in the movie that I found extremely strange was the characters’ obsession with the usually out-of-place ducts advertised as the must-haves of the century. The fact that these ducts could be customized to the individual customer was a testament to the need of the American generation to essentially be independent and unique, as the westernized culture promotes this type of individualism as a prideful quality. Furthermore, I found it questionable as to why Central Services had to even remotely be interested in, much less neurotically control, the ducts in the personal homes of all the residents in this movie. The government was much too involved in the personal home lives as much as the work lives of the characters in this film. This was further depicted by the manner in which the government officials barged into the Buttle home to grab the wrongly accused criminal, without much explanation or justification. The mistakes of Information Retrieval are hidden under the scenes as countless innocent lives come to an end, yet there is an ever-emphasized need to focus on the outer struggle of terrorism. It is also indicated by Jill that many of the government agents have probably never seen a true terrorist. The extent to which this terrorism was actually existent throughout the movie was questionable, as the source of the violence was never actually shown, but trusted by the citizens through the media presented to them.

A superficiality that is mentioned and portrayed a few times in this movie is that of plastic surgery. Sam’s mother is drowned in face-lifts, masks, and ultimate make-up sessions, even after her friend has experienced the negative impacts of this very same plastic surgery. The extent to which many of these women attempted to escape their age and live beyond their years was eye opening and downright ridiculous. As viewers, these exaggerations, although neither actually depicted what we see in our lives, present to us the reality that the natural course of life and age is not truly respected as we witness the ever-increasing impacts of aesthetic plastic surgery in our society.

Countless moments and predicaments proved to be a battle between what was reality and what was not. Amongst those already mentioned include the aggressive attitude of Lime towards Lowry versus his actually passive and agreeable behavior towards him. The dinner party at Sam’s mother’s home presents countless forms of relationships lacking in any genuine intercourse. The lack of Lowry’s ability to empathize with or speak to a devastated Mrs. Buttle also further represents the need for Lowry’s character to avoid and hide from his reality. These ironic encounters were amusing, and they almost encouraged us to laugh at the shallowness of many human behaviors, bringing to light the darkness that is present in humanity in a humorous and unforgiving manner.