I think the ambiguity of the time period in which Brazil is set is used to serve as added discourse to which the society is already facing. In Brazil, bombs going off during lunch and officials having power about a person's identity as well as the system that basically determines whether you live or die from a crime, is normal. The added confusion as to why the future appears much less futuristic compared to what was protrayed in other sci-fi films, adds to the disorientation felt by the film.
Something to keep in mind about Gilliam's decision, I found, was that maybe he didn't want to portray the future as something to be admired, like the advanced technology shown in The Matrix and in Things To Come.
But the future in the Matrix is difficult to admire. Machines harvest us for our energy? Yikes!
ReplyDeleteYour point about disorientation has potential, but you only write one sentence about it. Alas.