Brazil: A Satire Dystopian Film Directed By Terry Gilliam

Brazil is a satirical dystopian film directed by Terry Gilliam that centers on Sam Lowry and his attempts to escape his monotonous life with the woman of his dreams, Jill Layton. The setting for the movie is a futuristic society that is controlled entirely by an oppressive government that is reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984. Throughout the entirety of the film, ugly exposed ducts are shown in nearly every scene, hanging low and disrupting any sort of elegance that may otherwise exist. The ducts serve as a way of connecting everyone directly back to the State, creating a web of interconnectivity that is proprietary to the extent that only certified technicians can even touch them (a fact that is akin to Apple’s level of propriety today). I believe that the ducts in Brazil symbolize two themes: technology gone wrong and the omnipresent nature of the State itself. …show more content…
They are tangled and messy behind the walls, as shown when Sam’s heating system breaks and his duct system is repaired by the rogue technician, Harry Tuttle, and then torn apart by the certified technicians for the State. Gilliam seems to be defying our belief that technology is progressing towards something good. His use of technological innovations as a symbol for oppression and ugliness forces the viewer to reconsider their notions about technology. The extent to which ducts are present in the film draws attention to the fact technology can be used by a government to invade the lives of its citizens in a very tangible way. This pessimistic view may be far fetched, but I think it is important to consider the alternative uses that a new technology can fulfill and be critical of the