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MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
187 .......................... 198
__________________________
May 27th
—— 1985 ——
Brazil
—— sci-fi ——
Brasil, meu Brasil brasileiro
Meu mulato inzoneiro
The peculiar poster to this film has had me interested time and time again, picturing this human-like person with the wings of an angel, escaping into freedom and away from the systematized and synthetic lifestyle of an average worker, a genuine slave to society, flying out from underneath the colorful contrast to the otherwise black and white scenario, spotting a huge neon sign reading the simple word, ‘Brazil’. But one could only speculate about the strange vibes of which this poster seemed to produce. Therefore, I was happy to see it being nominated for the Sci-Fi Hall of Fame and thereby giving me a forcing chance of finally watching this film, instead of being stuck in a whirlwind of wonder for eternity…
After watching the film though, I’m still stuck in a whirlwind of wonder, continuously curious about the film and its themes and take on a future society, left standing as a faintly frustrated individual not knowing whether to be annoyed or amazed by it all. Anyways, this movie is definitely far out and completely insane at times, but I can’t help but say I was entertained – both visually, aurally and intellectually. ‘Brazil’ kind of plays out like an unsolvable Rubik’s Cube, where each of the colored squares represents the different subjects, settings and storylines of the film. No matter how many times you twist and turn it, you will always end up with a façade of different contrasts that are not entirely matching, and a product that is not entirely solved. But of course this is all part of the fun, but when you can’t make sense of things, you usually give it a rest and get back to it again some other day. I think this movie will definitely benefit from a rewatch since there is so much to grasp and grab on to. Generally speaking, you are left standing alone in the dark – perplexed and empty-handed – yet you are almost feeling too overstuffed. It is, however, a very strange but also strangely satisfying feeling to have.
‘Brazil’ does travel a long way into abnormality and absurdness, only to make sure that the satire is being served at just the right degree. I must admit that I don’t always click with satirical films, simply because the act of delivering satire can be very subjective, though often respectively clever as well. I admire the cleverness and originality of this film, but never have I had such a hard time finding out what to think about it. On one side I love it, on the other I hate it. Terry Gilliam aims for the impossible task of sewing his brain directly onto a movie script and praying that the audience likes what he thinks and feels. No, but really, I do see more thought and effort than him simply throwing out ideas hoping that they will stick.
But still, this is a very ambitious film, not only mixing different themes and feelings, but also different genres and settings entirely. A feature film attempting to balance an impression of society in every shade and every grade; whether it being the evolution of working life, professions, social inequalities, governmental control, surveillance, general politics, terrorism or propaganda. But these things are nothing but a fraction of the outer shell of society within this film, and the voice it puts forward, there is also the inner complexity of things; like independence, power, self-perception, introspection as well as love, and pretty much every other thought, feeling and emotion that you could come to think of. You could even draw a perspective to the movie business itself with the strong independent voice of this film, and how it dares and succeeds in creating something entirely original, if I were to use one example out of one thousand.
So how the hell do you end up reviewing such a film? How do you talk about a film that is clearly so well-made, having great talent in front and behind the camera, and yet feels so oddly off-putting? Essentially, how do you click with a film that doesn’t even click with itself? I really don’t know the answer to any of this, though I tried my best to answer it. In the end, when it all comes down to it, I had a lot of fun with this film and I definitely don’t regret watching it. It made me think, and made me sort out in my emotions like never before, so I guess it did something right. How it did it? I really don’t know…
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
187 .......................... 198
__________________________
May 27th
—— 1985 ——
Brazil
—— sci-fi ——
Brasil, meu Brasil brasileiro
Meu mulato inzoneiro
The peculiar poster to this film has had me interested time and time again, picturing this human-like person with the wings of an angel, escaping into freedom and away from the systematized and synthetic lifestyle of an average worker, a genuine slave to society, flying out from underneath the colorful contrast to the otherwise black and white scenario, spotting a huge neon sign reading the simple word, ‘Brazil’. But one could only speculate about the strange vibes of which this poster seemed to produce. Therefore, I was happy to see it being nominated for the Sci-Fi Hall of Fame and thereby giving me a forcing chance of finally watching this film, instead of being stuck in a whirlwind of wonder for eternity…
After watching the film though, I’m still stuck in a whirlwind of wonder, continuously curious about the film and its themes and take on a future society, left standing as a faintly frustrated individual not knowing whether to be annoyed or amazed by it all. Anyways, this movie is definitely far out and completely insane at times, but I can’t help but say I was entertained – both visually, aurally and intellectually. ‘Brazil’ kind of plays out like an unsolvable Rubik’s Cube, where each of the colored squares represents the different subjects, settings and storylines of the film. No matter how many times you twist and turn it, you will always end up with a façade of different contrasts that are not entirely matching, and a product that is not entirely solved. But of course this is all part of the fun, but when you can’t make sense of things, you usually give it a rest and get back to it again some other day. I think this movie will definitely benefit from a rewatch since there is so much to grasp and grab on to. Generally speaking, you are left standing alone in the dark – perplexed and empty-handed – yet you are almost feeling too overstuffed. It is, however, a very strange but also strangely satisfying feeling to have.
‘Brazil’ does travel a long way into abnormality and absurdness, only to make sure that the satire is being served at just the right degree. I must admit that I don’t always click with satirical films, simply because the act of delivering satire can be very subjective, though often respectively clever as well. I admire the cleverness and originality of this film, but never have I had such a hard time finding out what to think about it. On one side I love it, on the other I hate it. Terry Gilliam aims for the impossible task of sewing his brain directly onto a movie script and praying that the audience likes what he thinks and feels. No, but really, I do see more thought and effort than him simply throwing out ideas hoping that they will stick.
But still, this is a very ambitious film, not only mixing different themes and feelings, but also different genres and settings entirely. A feature film attempting to balance an impression of society in every shade and every grade; whether it being the evolution of working life, professions, social inequalities, governmental control, surveillance, general politics, terrorism or propaganda. But these things are nothing but a fraction of the outer shell of society within this film, and the voice it puts forward, there is also the inner complexity of things; like independence, power, self-perception, introspection as well as love, and pretty much every other thought, feeling and emotion that you could come to think of. You could even draw a perspective to the movie business itself with the strong independent voice of this film, and how it dares and succeeds in creating something entirely original, if I were to use one example out of one thousand.
So how the hell do you end up reviewing such a film? How do you talk about a film that is clearly so well-made, having great talent in front and behind the camera, and yet feels so oddly off-putting? Essentially, how do you click with a film that doesn’t even click with itself? I really don’t know the answer to any of this, though I tried my best to answer it. In the end, when it all comes down to it, I had a lot of fun with this film and I definitely don’t regret watching it. It made me think, and made me sort out in my emotions like never before, so I guess it did something right. How it did it? I really don’t know…
__________________________