---
title: "Brazil"
year: 1985
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/brazil"
fi1m_id: "brazil"
imdb_id: "tt0088846"
tmdb_id: 68
wikidata_id: "Q25057"
fi1m_score: 83
critics_score: 81
critics_reviews: 16
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:52.201756+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Brazil (1985)

Directed by Terry Gilliam · 2h 23m · MPA R · Comedy, Science Fiction

## Identity

Brazil

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/brazil
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** brazil
- **IMDb ID:** tt0088846
- **TMDB ID:** 68
- **Wikidata ID:** Q25057
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/68, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25057

**Fi1m score: 83** · Critics 81 from 16 reviews

*In a sentence:* The heating engineer is a dangerous man because he might actually fix something

> Terry Gilliam’s bureaucratic nightmare is funny, frightening and exhausting, with Jonathan Pryce giving its elaborate absurdities someone worth caring about. The storytelling loses shape, but the detail makes the cruelty difficult to shrug off.

## Synopsis

Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) lives in a retro-futurist society governed by bureaucracy, where administrative incompetence sits alongside repression. Terry Gilliam’s science-fiction comedy follows him through a system in which everyday practical problems take on the proportions of a nightmare. Robert De Niro appears as Harry Tuttle, a rogue heating engineer, and Ian Holm plays Mr. Kurtzmann. The cast also includes Katherine Helmond as Mrs. Ida Lowry, Kim Greist as Jill Layton and Michael Palin as Jack Lint. Social satire, fantasy and slapstick meet as Sam encounters rules that do little to make life manageable.

## Review

Terry Gilliam’s *Brazil* is a funny, frightening film about the damage done by people who cannot get their work right and insist on doing it anyway. We recommend it, with a warning that its 143 minutes can feel punishing. Gilliam makes bureaucratic failure a source of both slapstick and fear, and he is good at making the two happen together. A practical problem can become an ordeal because someone has a procedure to follow. The future has the look of an outmoded past, which suits the administrative mismanagement at the centre of the story.

The screenplay, by Gilliam, Tom Stoppard and Charles McKeown, pays close attention to the small absurdities of getting through the day. Robert De Niro’s Harry Tuttle, a rogue heating engineer, is a particularly good example: having the heating repaired ought to be the least adventurous part of anyone’s life. We laughed at the fuss surrounding such an ordinary job, and then felt uneasy about why it was funny. Gilliam makes the difficulty of having a basic need met seem entirely plausible.

Norman Garwood’s production design is crucial here: this future looks old, with none of the reassurance of a fresh start. The retro-futurist setting makes the bureaucracy seem deeply established, and the detail rewards looking beyond the actors. Roger Pratt’s cinematography makes those surroundings feel oppressive even when there is something funny to look at. There is pleasure in examining the images, although their busyness can make it difficult to decide what deserves attention.

Jonathan Pryce gives Sam Lowry enough vulnerability to keep all this elaborate nastiness from becoming a display we merely inspect. He makes a useful centre for a film that is forever threatening to wander off after another joke. Ian Holm, as Mr. Kurtzmann, is just as valuable in making the bureaucratic absurdity feel human. The performances matter because the satire would become repetitive if every person were simply another illustration of how badly the system works.

The difficulty is that Gilliam’s appetite for invention is greater than his interest in moving the story along. Around the middle, the plotting weakens and some episodes become hard to distinguish in the memory. Julian Doyle’s editing can make the comedy feel frantic, yet the film still has passages that barely seem to move. Michael Kamen’s music helps keep the comedy unsettling, even when the story loses our attention. The running time allows Gilliam room for detail, and also room to repeat effects we have already understood.

Among dystopian science-fiction films, *Brazil* stands out for taking incompetence so seriously. The fear of having an ordinary request handled by someone who cannot help is enough to make its fantasy recognisable. There is little relief from the cruelty, even when the jokes work, so this is poor company for an evening that needs soothing. Save it for a night when laughter need not make things feel better.

*Fi1m score 83, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics rate Brazil highly, and the praise clusters in one place: Gilliam’s visual invention. Review after review picks out the retro-futurist design, the cluttered sets and ducting, and the way a bureaucratic dystopia is made funny and frightening at the same time. The satire of paperwork and impersonal systems is judged to have aged well, and several later reviews call it prescient. Jonathan Pryce’s Sam Lowry is widely admired, and Robert De Niro’s small turn as the rogue heating engineer is mentioned again and again.

The reservations are almost all about story. The New York Times finds the plot thin, RogerEbert.com finds the narrative confusing even after two viewings, and Time Out thinks the weaknesses show halfway through and leave a glittering novelty. There are no outright negatives and the spread is narrow at the top, but the strongest praise comes from critics revisiting the film years later; the first-run reviews are warmer about the vision than about the shape.

## Straight answers

**Is Brazil worth watching?**

*Brazil* is worth watching for anyone who can take a funny, frightening film about bureaucracy that runs to a punishing 143 minutes, and we scored it 83. Jonathan Pryce gives the elaborate cruelty someone to care about, and Norman Garwood's aged-looking future rewards close attention. Save it for a night when the laughter need not make things feel better.

**How long is Brazil, and what is it rated?**

*Brazil* runs 2h 23m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and science fiction film.

**Where can I watch Brazil in the US?**

*Brazil* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Brazil, and is it suitable for children?**

*Brazil* is certified 15 in the UK and R in the US, and it is not suitable for children. The violence is less the problem than the tone: the cruelty is constant, the comedy is unsettling rather than reassuring, and the film offers little relief even when the jokes land. Older teenagers with a taste for dark satire should be fine.

**How does Brazil compare to Sorry to Bother You?**

*Brazil* and [*Sorry to Bother You*](https://film.one/film/sorry-to-bother-you) are both workplace satires that grow stranger as they go, but Terry Gilliam's film is the more exhausting and the more frightening. Boots Riley's is angrier about race and getting ahead, and shorter, though both overcrowd their frames and lose shape around the middle. Choose *Brazil* for detail and dread, *Sorry to Bother You* for sharper, quicker jokes.

**What should I watch after Brazil?**

After *Brazil*, try [*PlayTime*](https://film.one/film/playtime) (1967, Fi1m 88): Jacques Tati finds quieter comic disasters in buildings intended to improve life. Then [*Fantastic Planet*](https://film.one/film/fantastic-planet) (1973, Fi1m 80): Strange animated science fiction that makes everyday domination look unfamiliar again; and [*Sorry to Bother You*](https://film.one/film/sorry-to-bother-you) (2018, Fi1m 81): Workplace satire that grows stranger as its account of exploitation sharpens.

### Reviews we read (16)

- **Empire**, Adam Smith (90/100, inferred): Gilliam's dystopian epic remains among his best, blending his trademark visual inventiveness with a vicious brand of social satire. Unique and essential. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/brazil-review/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Chris Cabin (90/100, inferred): Praises Gilliam's 1985 film as a wondrous magnum opus that blends comic, creative, and moving elements to critique inequality and bureaucracy. Singles out its stunning visual power, emotional depth through romance and grief, and inventive use of performers and influences from other films. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/brazil/)
- **The AV Club**, Mike D'Angelo (90/100, inferred): The critic calls Brazil the greatest movie ever made about bureaucratic inefficiency, praising Gilliam's ability to depict it through comically threatening absurdism in a dystopian world resembling an outmoded past. He singles out the film's meticulous attention to detail in everyday absurdities, such as the rogue heating engineer scene with Robert De Niro. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/brazil-1798220811)
- **The Guardian**, Phelim O'Neill (90/100, inferred): The critic calls Brazil a timeless masterpiece whose power and resonance have only grown, becoming less surreal and more sharply satirical over time. He singles out its visual density and the way repeated viewings reveal new details, especially in the new Blu-ray transfer, alongside its blend of humour, satire and a memorably sad happy ending. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/nov/26/brazil-terry-gilliam-bluray-review)
- **The Times**, The Times Arts Correspondents (90/100, inferred): The review praises Gilliam's blackly comic dystopian satire, which parodies 1984 in a world of bureaucratic mismanagement and repression. It highlights the intricate plotting, inventive visuals and strong performances, especially from Jonathan Pryce and Ian Holm. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/article/brazil-3xt9vvjwz9m)
- **IndieWire**, Matt Brennan (80/100, inferred): Examines Brazil as a dystopian vision still relevant today, highlighting its critique of bureaucracy and totalitarianism. Focuses on Gilliam's singular vision and the film's enduring power as both fantasy and warning. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/now-and-then-brazil-terry-gilliams-dystopia-and-ours-too-200325/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Sheila Benson (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it a brilliant, exhausting, savagely funny post-Orwellian satire like watching the contents of Gilliam’s head erupt in public. It is richly visionary even if the bleak vision requires cold compresses afterward. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-12-25-ca-21295-story.html)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (80/100, inferred): Brazil delivers a chillingly hilarious vision of a near-future bureaucratic dystopia where the protagonist is crushed by the system he questions. The review highlights the brilliant supporting cast, Pryce’s comic performance, and De Niro’s delightful turn in a small role. [Read](https://variety.com/1984/film/reviews/brazil-10-1200426637/)
- **The New Yorker**, Pauline Kael (70/100, inferred): The critic describes it as a melancholy, joke-ridden retro-futurist fantasy like a stoned, slapstick 1984, a nightmare comedy where the comedy is part of the nightmarishness. Gilliam’s vision is an organic achievement on screen despite episodes that blur and a film that is both torpid and frantic. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/brazil)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (Critic’s Pick): The critic calls it a jaunty, wittily observed vision of a bleak future and a superb example of comedy underscoring serious ideas. The satirical and cautionary impulses work beautifully together despite a thin plot. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/18/movies/the-screen-brazil-from-terry-gilliam.html)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (65/100, inferred): The film offers a psychedelic, anarchic variation on Orwell’s 1984, with elaborate sets and effects but a confusing narrative that lacks discipline. Ebert praises individual striking images and a simple Chaplin-like scene while noting the story is hard to follow even after two viewings. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/brazil-1986)
- **Time Out**, DP (50/100, inferred): The film is realized with visual imagination and sparky humour, though plot weaknesses become apparent halfway through. Gilliam fuses terror and comedy brilliantly in key scenes, but elsewhere the story reduces the film to a glittering novelty. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/brazil)
- **Collider**, Thomas Butt (90/100, inferred): The critic hails Gilliam's dystopian satire as a prescient masterpiece that remains relevant for its depiction of bureaucracy, consumerism, and authoritarianism in a paranoid society. Production design and absurdist humor are singled out as elevating the film's dark comedy and visual imagination. [Read](https://collider.com/terry-gilliam-brazil/)
- **Digital Spy**, Simon Kinnear (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Gilliam's visionary dystopia as prescient and influential, highlighting its inventive visuals, retro-futuristic design, and strong performances, especially Jonathan Pryce's career-defining turn as Sam Lowry. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/re-viewed/a554073/re-viewed-terry-gilliams-prescient-sci-fi-brazil/)
- **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it the quintessential Terry Gilliam film, an imaginative work of art with stunning visuals and sets that feels like an amazing adventure despite its dark story. They single out the tremendous atmosphere and witty script that balances the monstrous elements with humanity. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/brazil-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
- **Consequence** (85/100, inferred): The critic calls Brazil one of the most compelling depictions of Orwellian sci-fascism, praising its masterful satire of bureaucracy and the dehumanizing effects of impersonal systems. The film's Expressionist world-building and themes of dreams versus oppressive reality are highlighted as enduring strengths. [Read](https://consequence.net/2015/12/the-nightmare-of-terry-gilliams-brazil-30-years-later/)

## Details

- **Director:** Terry Gilliam
- **Director:** Terry Gilliam
- **Screenplay:** Tom Stoppard, Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown
- **Cinematography:** Roger Pratt
- **Editor:** Julian Doyle
- **Music:** Michael Kamen, Ary Barroso
- **Production design:** Norman Garwood
- **Costume design:** James Acheson
- **Producer:** Arnon Milchan, Patrick Cassavetti
- **Cast:** Jonathan Pryce as Sam Lowry; Robert De Niro as Harry Tuttle; Katherine Helmond as Mrs. Ida Lowry; Ian Holm as Mr. Kurtzmann; Bob Hoskins as Spoor; Michael Palin as Jack Lint; Ian Richardson as Mr. Warrenn; Peter Vaughan as Mr. Helpmann
- **Runtime:** 2h 23m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 18 December 1985
- **Genres:** Comedy, Science Fiction
- **Budget:** $15 million
- **Box office:** $10 million

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, IT, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PL, PT, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1986: Best Production Design (nominated); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Trial* (1962): Another administrative nightmare, with corridors that seem built to prevent escape.
- *PlayTime* (1967), Fi1m 88: Jacques Tati finds quieter comic disasters in buildings intended to improve life. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/playtime.md)
- *Fantastic Planet* (1973), Fi1m 80: Strange animated science fiction that makes everyday domination look unfamiliar again. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/fantastic-planet.md)
- *The Bothersome Man* (2006): A tidier dystopia, where comfort itself becomes difficult to bear.
- *Sorry to Bother You* (2018), Fi1m 81: Workplace satire that grows stranger as its account of exploitation sharpens. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/sorry-to-bother-you.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/brazil