Brazil (1985)
Figures
Objects & symbols
- Sam Lowry's recurring dream of flying as a winged warrior to save a captive woman.
- The recurring motif of terrorism being used as a justification for increased state control and surveillance. → The State of Exception
Locations
- The oppressive, monolithic architecture of the city, dominated by colossal, brutalist towers and billboards. → The Counter-Space
Form & technique
- The film's "retro-futurist" aesthetic, combining 1940s fashion, 1980s computer technology, and industrial ductwork. → The Pastiche Playbook
Tropes
- The sprawling, labyrinthine offices and endless paperwork of the Ministry of Information. → The Invisible Watchtower
- The grotesque and failing body of Ida Lowry, perpetually undergoing extreme, deforming plastic surgery. → Grotesque Realism
- The contrast between Jill Layton's utilitarian appearance and Ida Lowry's obsession with surgical rejuvenation.
- The constant, diegetic and non-diegetic use of the cheerful 1939 song "Aquarela do Brasil."
- Sam Lowry's final retreat into a fantasy world while being tortured (the European "downer" ending).
- The elusive and contradictory figure of Archibald Tuttle, the renegade heating engineer. → The Empty Vessel
Films most connected to Brazil
- The Shape of Water (2017) — via The Pastiche Playbook, The Counter-Space, The Empty Vessel, The State of Exception
- The Dark Knight (2008) — via The Invisible Watchtower, The Empty Vessel, The State of Exception
- Shrek (2001) — via The Pastiche Playbook, Grotesque Realism
- Beetlejuice (1988) — via The Pastiche Playbook, Grotesque Realism
- Joker (2019) — via The Pastiche Playbook, The Empty Vessel
- Drive (2011) — via The Pastiche Playbook, The Empty Vessel
- Reservoir Dogs (1992) — via The Pastiche Playbook, The Empty Vessel
- The Zone of Interest (2023) — via The Invisible Watchtower, The Counter-Space