Terry Gilliam’s 1985 Brazil: A critique on Christmas

Terry Gilliam’s Brazil is a surreal, Monty Python-esque often overlooked masterpiece that damns the absurdities of bureaucracy, consumerism, and loss of humanity. Many movie reviews have been done on it. And as the years go by and its cult status having been achieved, it gets more accepted as a commentary on society. Set against the backdrop of an ever present bureaucracy during the Christmas season, the film is haunting, offering absurdist commentary on how the holidays can devolve into a hollow display of materialism. Almost 40 years later, this film feels MORE prescient.

While it is not your traditional holiday movie, Brazil forces us to question how much around us is necessary and whether the season’s joy is authentic versus manufactured. Its commentary on unchecked government control and society’s obsession with consumption makes it one we HAD to revisit during the holidays.

A ever present tinsel wrapped bureaucracy

Brazil follows Sam Lowry (a very young Jonathan Pryce), low-level government employee trapped in the web of a dystopian, bureaucratic society. Sam dreams of escaping the monotony of his life and finding freedom with Jill Layton (Kim Greist), a woman he sees in his fantasies. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro), he meets the Jill, and in trying to help her gets caught in a web of mistaken identities, mindless bureaucracy and lies. As his quest to uncover the truth about the real Jill inadvertently entangles him in a series of surreal, dangerous, and Kafkaesque events. As the bureaucracy descends upon him and Jill, the two leave the city together. However, this “happy ending” is a delusion: it is revealed that Sam is still strapped to the torture chair. Realising that Sam has descended into irrecoverable insanity, Jack and Mr Helpmann declare him a lost cause and leave the room. Sam remains in the chair, smiling and singing “Aquarela do Brasil” to himself.

The world of Brazil

Set against a world where Christmas decorations subtly adorn office spaces and holiday carols are played amidst chaos, the film uses seasonal cheer over the top of society in moral decay. It’s classic Terry Gilliam. If you’ve seen The Meaning of Life you know the feel of absurdity that Gilliam brings to the screen. The festive setting feels jarringly out of place in a world dominated by oppressive surveillance, endless paperwork, and a lack of human empathy.

Upon its release in 1985, Brazil received polarizing responses with critics praising its imaginative world-building and dark humor, standard for anyone who’s every seen Gilliam and his Monty Python mates take apart the decaying British empire, while others, including audiences, found it chaotic or overly ambitious.

Today, the film’s portrayal of an omnipresent government that thrives on fear and control feels chillingly relevant in today’s age of data surveillance and mass digital oversight feels right at home,, while Sam Lowry’s dreams of freedom and love offer fleeting moments of respite but ultimately lead to his downfall. You don’t have to look farther than time spent on social media to see today’s escapism.

The commercialization of Christmas

While the film stands alone as a critique on a failing society drowning in its own paperwork and regulations, (EVERYTHING needs a form signed and counter signed), and government overreach (as seen by the every growing presence of ducts in all scenes), its subtle use of the Christmas season and its decorations, Christmas music and commercialism serves to not so gently remind us that Christmas is not what it once was. Office workers exchange identical, thoughtless gifts, and decorations feel hollow, plastered over a decaying society. The film’s portrayal of the season critiques the modern reality of holiday shopping frenzies and the pressure to consume. There is even a great scene where the followers of Consumers for Christ march through the shopping district.

Conclusion: It won’t make you feel better, but it will make you think

Okay, Brazil is not your typical holiday movie . But it serves as a stark reminder of how easily we can be overshadowed from the joy and humanity of the season. Terry Gilliam’s dystopian vision feels just as relevant today as it did in 1985, offering both a warning and an opportunity to reflect on what truly matters during the holidays.

Our rating: PREMIUM TOP SHELF

Pair this thought-provoking film with a Dystopian Delight cocktail, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a unique movie night that challenges the norms of holiday traditions.