Brazil

I watched the 1985 Terry Gilliam classic Brazil today as I'd been contemplating and rationalizing on expanding the criteria I can discover and discuss around satirical entertainment such as this. Brazil is an ambitious film. Hell, this is obvious by it's critical acclaim and cult status; one of the main reasons I picked it out to watch - it's ridiculous it's only now that I've watched it. I think reading on reviews, critical and personal analysis on the film initially put me off, the stills/screens and trailers I'd seen in the past where brushed off as, 'probably not my type of movie, very art-house, bizarre; tough to get into', to which now, ironically, I've succumb to enjoying within films.

It's always a strange feeling, when watching or playing something and it completely deludes the mentality that you initially had beforehand. Not that I often judge a book by it's cover, so to speak, it's all subjective, and all based on taste, and individual perspectives on experiences we've loved, hated, accepted or been nonplussed by in the past to then establish a personal opinion.

After watching Brazil, and becoming instantly ore-inspired by the time the end credits scrolled up the screen, I began delving into other sources of media out there that I was initially already aware of; such as films and games, recent and past - that I thought would fit the same sorts of narrative exploration and meaning. Narrative metaphor and satirical structure within entertainment - especially when handled so expertly - makes me, as the viewer, and the audience, want to explore the further reaches, messages and intentions of the experience.
My previous post is based on my potential expansion within the nostalgia-based project; that of advertising and the often intentional corrupt campaigns and propaganda-based agendas - there of - that are satirically explored and entertainingly exploited in films such as They Live.

With Brazil, however, it wasn't as 'in your face' with it's message; it had to be explored. The comedic element surround They Live's plot was based around boxes of sunglasses that could 'awaken' the wearer so that the truth was blatantly advertised. Brazil's world is derived from a dystopian standpoint, and focuses on the weird and wacky elements such as pantomime-esque characters and environments that also seem to become living creatures themselves.
Metaphorically these films serve as a yearn to escape, like living in a constant dreamworld that's often devoid of human emotion; pitting the main character as someone who looks through the looking glass and discovers the world they're surrounded by, all of a sudden is as bizarre and inhuman as we the viewer see it as.
The realization often drives the emotion of a film, and gives the viewer a personal and human connection to the character - the struggle to get out of this desolate living and finally find freedom; happiness.

Seems to be a theme with dystopian settings; I've noticed this trend in many other films - futuristic and noir-like - such as Blade Runner, The Warriors, Tron, The Truman Show, etc. Other forms of media - specifically video games - have been known to replicate and borrow from some of these classic, genre-refining cultural pieces; Deus Ex and the original Unreal Tournament/Quake III: Arena, for example.