On paper, Brazil is an amalgamation of my favorite genres and themes in cinema: black comedy, satire, romance, fantasy, science-fiction, dystopic societies, fear of/fighting against "the man," championing of the individual, etc. Imagine my disappointment when all of those things turned out to be true, but I still only found a marginal amount of enjoyment in the experience. At first I was laughing at the absurdity of the visuals, engrossed in the satirical story, and rooting for our hero Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce). As time went on and the narrative dragged, it started grating on my nerves. The end slightly saved the film for me because I found it thought-provoking, but overall I was still disappointed. In 1985, I'm sure it felt groundbreaking and ahead of its time for serious film fanatics. It's unlike anything I've seen from the 1980's for sure. Almost 30 years later, it feels gaudy, over-done, silly, and pointless on a first viewing. I'm willing to try this one again someday, though.

Sam Lowry starts out a very relatable and interesting protagonist, but then his actions take a turn somewhere around the middle of the movie into pitiable territory. His desperation doesn't really feel warranted until very close to the end when I started to sympathize with him again. None of the characters felt real. Instead, I thought they were caricatures merely used as plot devices. Brazil also features the dumbest romantic story line I think I've ever witnessed. I won't go into detail, but I thought it was at once boring and outrageously pathetic.

The discussion of bureaucratic headaches was probably my favorite part of the film. It felt like the fantasy version of 1984 and reminded me of other dystopic imaginings of modern society….with a sense of humor. I especially liked how the individual was championed above all else in a stifling professional and personal space. However, these ideas felt loosely held together by a narrative that was probably inappropriate to house these ideas. Obviously people will disagree with me here, but it just felt haphazardly written and put together. It seemed messy and unintentional, like they just stumbled upon similar ideas and thought it would be a good idea to throw them into this already ridiculous fantasy world and hope they fit.

Brazil is breathtaking for me only in its ambition and dedication to its ideas. The visuals are certainly unique, but for me, they weren't pleasing. I can understand why this is a cult classic, but it isn't one I'll be adding to my favorites list anytime soon. I'll admit, I was expecting to love this given the praise its received and its legendary cult status, but in this case, the reality didn't live up to the hype. Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate Brazil as a work of art, but I couldn't find a way to enjoy it beyond some empty laughs and the gratification of seeing something wholly original.