What defines a Christmas film has been hotly debated since the dawn of time — or at least since Die Hard was released back in 1988. Just because something is set during Christmas time, does not a Christmas movie make. That said, not only is Terry Gilliam’s 1985 film, Brazil a bonafide Christmas film, it’s also the weirdest, most dystopian one you’ll ever watch. All the more reason to give it a chance this holiday season on the occasion of its 40th anniversary.
Directed and written by Gilliam (known for being part of the rib-achingly funny Monty Python troupe), Brazil is a dystopian science fiction comedy film that follows government worker Sam Lowry, played to perfection by Jonathan Pryce. Set in a rotten-to-the-core, poorly maintained city where people found guilty of crimes are forced to pay for their own torture, Brazil is full of characters beaten down by different aspects of society. For Sam, a naive manchild controlled by his overbearing mother and stifled by his clueless boss, the only reprieve from his mind-numbing job as a record keeper is his dreams. There, rugged and donning a cape, armor, and wings, Sam flies through lush, verdant green fields and fights off hordes of enemies to save a woman who always seems to be out of reach. He eventually meets her in real life where she goes by the name Jill Layton (Kim Greist) and they form a bond that draws the ire of the dictatorial government.
In Brazil’s totalitarian state, only the wealthy can get by, but their individualism is stripped away in the process. In one of the movie’s opening scenes, we see the working class Buttle family read Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol together, dressed in different, mismatched pajamas. Their belongings are scarce, and they otherwise have no Christmas presents. They are penniless, but their love for one another is evident in their interactions. In contrast, the presents gifted between Sam, his friend Jack Lint (Michael Palin), and his mother Mrs Ida Lowry (Katherine Helmond) are all wrapped up in the same, neat packaging. The gifts are all the same work-related time-keeping device, regardless of who they are being gifted to. Coupled with the fact that Sam and Jack dress in identical boxy suits with wide-brimmed hats, and every older woman is obsessed with the same pricey plastic surgery to help them seem younger, the divide between the uber-rich and the working class in Brazil is pointedly blatant.
It’s an economic divide that reflects the time and setting in which the film was developed. The 1980s were a turbulent decade for Britain. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher led the country, which was already in the midst of an economic crisis, into a new era of Conservatism. Slashing welfare for those dependent on it, while deindustrialization caused mass unemployment in core industries. The rich became richer and the poor became poorer. The USA wasn’t much better, with President Ronald Reagan’s economic policies resulting in a wider gap in wealth through tax cuts for the rich, and benefit cuts for the poor, as well as an increase in homelessness.
The people cried out for change, whether that be an increase in public spending to benefit those in need, or tackling crises like unemployment and housing. Anyone brave enough to protest and fight for a chance for a better life was demonized by their government in response. It’s not so different from how Gilliam portrays the government figures in Brazil who, on the surface, appear hypercompetent and brazen in brushing off “terrorist threats,” while in reality, these terrorists are resistance fighters striking out against the totalitarian state’s injustices. We see this through Archibald “Harry” Tuttle (Robert De Niro). Despite having worked for the government’s Central Services, Harry is quickly branded as a terrorist due to “not liking paperwork” when he decides to go freelance as an engineer instead. As befitting of Brazil’s weird, whimsical, and satirical tone, the reason for his being branded an enemy of the state is ludicrous, but it entirely fits the world’s setting.
The fact that Brazil takes place at Christmas only further highlights the tyrannical consumerist and capitalist nightmare that Sam lives through every day. Even during a time of joy and community, distrust and misinformation spread readily through propaganda. One poster displays a person gifting a Christmas present with a shadowy eye spotlighting the scene, warning about “minding that parcel” and “eagle eyes can save lives.” Others show how censorship of self and sticking to the status quo is encouraged, with the words “loose talk is noose talk” accompanied by lips being sealed shut via a lock. An image stuck in my mind is when the police and firing squad that the government uses to crack down on dissenting individuals, come together as carolers. Dressed in their uniforms, guns hanging at their waist and having been previously established as taking glee in hurting people, they all huddle together to sing.
Gilliam’s use of totalitarian propaganda imagery and censorship among shots of tinsel, Christmas trees and presents is a deliberate, jarring dissonance from what we’re used to when it comes to the holiday. There are undoubtedly snatches of joy to be found in Brazil, such as Sam’s revenge on the engineers who repurpose his home, and him falling in love with Jill, but this is ultimately a film that feels like a slap in the face. You may want to turn a blind eye and get lost in your fantasies, but as Gilliam sternly reminds his audience, doing so wouldn’t change the fact that the eye of your oppressors will, inevitably, fall onto you and yours.
