Brazil (1985)

Academy Awards, USA 1986

Nominee Oscar	Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Terry Gilliam Tom Stoppard Charles McKeown
	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration Norman Garwood Maggie Gray

Universal Pictures
Directed by Terry Gilliam
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Criterion Collection)

Government worker Jonathan Pryce escapes from his dreary life with daydreams about being a flying hero who rescues a beautiful girl. One day while serving papers to the wife of a man mistakenly arrested and killed by the government, he glimpses the girl of his dreams. He uses his government position to find out more about her, getting pulled deeper and deeper into her supposed terrorist activities. He is eventually arrested himself and just when he is about to be tortured, is rescued by some of her friends. The events that follow suggest the entire movie was just in his mind! Well, depending on which version you watch, since this has had multiple releases, with the main difference being the ending. Made during Terry Gilliam's most creative period, sandwiched between Time Bandits and Baron Munchausen, it is probably the lesser work. The over-the-top production design has influenced everything from the Coen brothers to steampunk, but the story seems to be left behind in the dust. It is very entertaining, though.