Low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowry escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life through a recurring daydream of himself as a virtuous hero saving a beautiful damsel. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle, he meets the woman from his daydream, and in trying to help her gets caught in a web of mistaken identities, mindless bureaucracy and lies.
Nominated for 2 Oscars. 8 wins & 5 nominations total
Top Critics Reviews
fresh:
For all its occasional long-windedness and visual dazzle, Brazil may be the Strangelove of the 1980s.
– John Hartl,
Film.com,
1 Jan 2000
fresh:
A superb example of the power of comedy to underscore serious ideas, even solemn ones.
– Janet Maslin,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
fresh:
Terry Gilliam's ferociously creative black comedy is filled with wild tonal contrasts, swarming details, and unfettered visual invention -- every shot carries a charge of surprise and delight.
– Dave Kehr,
Chicago Reader,
30 May 2007
fresh:
Brazil is a stinging, Strangelovian satire of the power of the bureaucracy in an Orwellian landscape.
– James Berardinelli,
ReelViews,
16 Oct 2008
fresh:
[A] darkly funny and truly visionary retro-futurist fantasy.