Brazil+-+8c+-+Tadashi

I chose to do my list on the ending scene of Brazil (lobotamy scene), starting from when Sam is abducted from the bedroom...

1 - The first aethstetic choice that I chose to highlight is the medium-long shot of the officer reading Sam his charges, looked at from Sam's point of view. Sam is wearing some sort of a mask sort of thing, and he is breathing deeply in confusion. The camera mimiks this movement, while also being blury, especially around the edges, to make the shot very disorienting. It is a huge change from the smooth shots from the bedroom scene, when things had finally calmed down. The fast speed of the officer's talking is also very disorienting, as well as the screaming in the background and other background sounds, and the sudden cuts between the many officers reading him his many forms. // Ha! You could probably have done this whole assignment based on everything that is happening in this shot. //

2 - When Sam is in the padded cell talking to the Deputy Minister, disguised as Santa Clause, Gilliam uses an over the shoulder medium shot, that manages to capture Sam's whole body because of the way he is sitting. The camera is placed a bit highly, and looks down on Sam. The high angle and Sam's body posture highlight the sense of vulnerability, while the Santa Clause feels very out of place, and is again very disorienting, like much of the film.

3 - I really like the reveal of Sm's setting when he is in the torture chamber. Gilliam very quickly dollies backwards from a closeup of Sam to a long shot. It really highlights Sam's insignificance in the whole scheme of things. // Me too, what a ridiculously amazing shot. //

4 - The panning shot of Sam and Tully fleeing from the ministry building is very beautifully executed. The quiet understanding and total trust of Sam in Tully is made clear, as he directs them through the streets, not getting caught. Sam's follower nature is shown here to it's full extent, despite having just made the conscious decision to blow up the ministry building.

5 - The medium shot of Tully as the scrap paper is one of my favorite shots in film everywhere. I think that it is beautifully shot, as Tully slowly gets completely covered in paper, and the paper is attracted to his body, weighing him down, from everywhere, while none of the passerby people try to help him. The lack of expression and reaction from the people makes one wonder wether it's a dream or not (and ofcourse the fact that the paper is randomly sticking to tully...), and the queesy feeling slowly builds up from this point.

6 - As Sam flees the city, there is a great wormhole shot of him as he runs through the streets. We see the modern buildings in the background, as he runs as fast as he can. The modern, symmetrical architecture never seems to end, and goes on and on. Most of all, the modern buildings are boring, and bleak. // Worm's Eye shot. A 'worm hole' is an opening in space that may or may not lead to alternate dimensions or times, depending on which sci fi books you read...or its a hole that worms come out of. //

7 - The whole sequence of Sam running through his nightmares is very reminiscent of Sam running through the city or down the corridors in the ministry. Symmetrical, bleak, boring. Much of the film looks like this. The entire film tries to show how oppressed Sam is without himself even knowing. The wide birds eye view shot when he is trapped is particularly eerie, as we finally recognize the place to be the place from his dreams.

8 - The final shot of the film is very effective. We are brought to stark realization of what has happened, that the past twenty minutes or so, or even perhaps the whole film, is a lie. We see a close up on Sam's face as he looks expressionlessly into the distance, humming "Brazil" to himself. Both thought provoking and eerie of an ending to one of the strangest films of all time.

The film uses wide shots significantly in this scene twice; as Sam is going to the funeral, and as Jill drives away with the truck. Both shots result in the viewers put in a false sense of security, before being yanked back in to the story line. First, with the strangeness of the funeral, his mother looking like Jill, and finally with jack and mr. helpman walking into the long shot of Jill and Sam's "happily ever after". // Out of all the disturbing things in this film, his mother looking like Jill might just be the second most disturbing thing (obviously the collapsing corpse that looks like its made of jello wins). //