Brazil

Sam Lowry is a low-level office worker trapped in a faceless bureaucratic state who fills his head with elaborate daydreams of himself as a gallant rescuer. When a clerical error leads to the arrest and death of an innocent man instead of the supposed criminal, Sam starts poking around the paperwork and unexpectedly meets the woman from his fantasies. Trying to help her pulls him into a tangled mess of mistaken identities, invasive bureaucracy, and deliberate lies, where red tape is as lethal as any villain. The film mixes dark comedy and science fiction, watching Sam's private fantasies collide with a cold, mechanized reality.

Released in 1985, Brazil was directed by Terry Gilliam with a screenplay credited to Tom Stoppard and Charles McKeown, and Gilliam contributed to rewrites. Its production design draws on retro-futurist and industrial influences, and the film is often noted for elaborate sets, inventive props, and a surreal visual language.

The movie had a contentious release and achieved only modest theatrical returns, in part because of distribution disputes and mixed early reviews. Over time it found a much larger audience through home video, specialty screenings, and critical reappraisal, which helped cement its reputation beyond initial commercial performance.

Its dystopian imagery, bureaucratic humor, and striking dream sequences have influenced filmmakers, designers, and musicians, and the film remains a touchstone for satirical portrayals of authoritarian systems. Scenes and visual motifs from Brazil are often cited in discussions of retro-future aesthetics and cinematic takes on administrative absurdity.

Critics are divided but many praise the movie's visual inventiveness and dark satirical tone, while others note uneven pacing. Audience ratings average 7.67 out of 10. Major themes include the crushing effects of bureaucracy on individuality, the tension between fantasy and reality, and the absurdity of modern administrative power.