LITR 4632: Literature of the Future

Presenter: Kevin Kaup

June 2, 2005

Present Imperfect: The Alternative Dystopia of Brazil

Primary Objectives:

2. To identify, describe, and criticize typical visions or scenarios of the future (as seen from 2005).

      a. High tech; virtual reality—slick, clean, cool, unreal, powerful?

      b. Low tech; actual reality—rough, messy, hot, real, powerless?

      c. Dystopia—Worlds gone wrong

Secondary Objective:

4. To identify and criticize "the romance narrative" (hero’s quest) as a model

      for the past, present, and future and to search for alternative narratives that

      are less escapist and antisocial.

Film: Brazil (1985)

Summary:

Terry Gilliam's Brazil is a dystopic vision which takes place, as the title card informs us, "Somewhere in the 20th Century."  It follows the story of an unlikely hero named Sam Lowry, a low-level bureaucratic functionary whose greatest goal in life is to never be noticed.  He hates his job and his life, resents the intrusive nature of the government for which he works, and long ago gave up caring about others or even himself, as he is impotent to affect any change in his world.  He lives simply for the few creature comforts he is allowed, and the recurring dreams of a strange, ethereal woman which haunt his subconscious.

Sam is a romantic at heart, a classic hero born into a world with no love or tolerance for individuality.  He harbors these sentiments and ideals deep inside, until, one day, he actually catches a glimpse of his dream girl.  In an effort to discover her identity and win her affection, Sam begins a reluctant journey up the bureaucratic ladder, taking a promotion and gaining security clearance which both allow him to find his girl, as well as reveal some of the darker secrets of the government.

Sam, filled with the confidence that accompanies love, and having uncovered depths of bureaucratic darkness toward which he can no longer turn a blind eye, begins a benign campaign against his oppressors, which inevitably concludes with the loss of everything that Sam holds dear--everything, that is, except his dreams.  His dreams are the one thing that can never be taken away by the bureaucracy--his one and only victory over the State.   

Questions:

Elie Wiesel, the Nobel-winning Romanian-born American writer, once said that "the opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." 

Question 1: How does this sentiment apply to the society depicted in Brazil, and how does it contribute to its classification as a dystopia?

The bureaucracy and society of Brazil only appears to malfunction when faced with human input or interaction. 

Question 2: Is this a criticism of the imperfection of Man in the face of flawless technology, or a commentary on the inadequacy of technology to accommodate the needs of dynamic, organic beings?

Brazil is anachronistic in the extreme; it does not tie itself down to one time (save for the aforementioned title card) or place, instead employing a mish-mash of cultural and technological styles ranging from the 1930s to the then-present day. 

Question 3: How does this artistic choice aid (or hinder) the depiction of a society where humans and technology attempt to coexist without extinguishing each other?

Brazil owes more than a little of its theme and structure to George Orwell's masterpiece 1984 (in fact, one of Terry Gilliam's preliminary title ideas for the film was 1984½).

Question 4: How do these two dystopic visions compare/contrast with each other?

It is clear that, in Brazil, technology exists for its own sake; it is an end unto itself.  The people in the film use technology, not out of necessity or even convenience, but out of sheer habit. 

Question 5: Is our own culture fast-approaching such an eventuality?  Did we already become such a society?  When did it happen?