Brazil is over-the-top, terrifying, funny, and moving. A hilarious and violent dystopian tale of the future using elements of the past, it strangely seems more and more like our present. Terrorism, surveillance, cosmetic surgery, hacking, and authoritarian control: Gilliam’s prescience is astounding. It was such a powerful, bold vision, so joyous in its escapism and so crushing in its ultimate nihilism.
And it has one of the most haunting endings in movie history. The impressive fact is that I haven’t seen anything quite like Brazil. It escaped from Terry Gilliam’s brain with such velocity that its power even today is undeniable.
