Brazils take on the future and past are really both they same. It merges the two into one. At the start of the film it is shown "somewhere in the 20th century" But this strange future and past setting is strange to science fiction as a whole, which as stated normally looks "unapologetically into the future." So what does this future past setting achieve? It makes the movie seem more believable for one,and two it makes the audience understand with out explanation what many things in the film do. In fact it even does more; Brazil shows people, and peoples interaction with other people. While in Sci-Fi movies such as the matrix, which clearly takes place in the future, are more focused on the connection between people and machines. Which is better? Thats really a matter of opinion.