Brazil
Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is a harried technocrat in a futuristic society that is needlessly convoluted and inefficient. He dreams of a life where he can fly away from technology and overpowering bureaucracy, and spend eternity with the woman of his dreams. While trying to rectify the wrongful arrest of one Harry Buttle (Brian Miller), Lowry meets the woman he is always chasing in his dreams, Jill Layton (Kim Greist). Meanwhile, the bureaucracy has fingered him responsible for a rash of terrorist bombings, and Sam and Jill's lives are put in danger.
The film underperformed commercially against its respectable budget of $15.0M, earning $10.0M globally (-34% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its distinctive approach within the drama genre.
Nominated for 2 Oscars. 9 wins & 6 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Brazil (1985) demonstrates strategically placed narrative design, characteristic of Terry Gilliam's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 23 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Sam Lowry
Jill Layton
Harry Tuttle
Jack Lint
Mrs. Ida Lowry
Mr. Helpmann
Mr. Kurtzmann
Main Cast & Characters
Sam Lowry
Played by Jonathan Pryce
A low-level government worker who dreams of escape and falls for a mysterious woman, leading him to rebel against the totalitarian system.
Jill Layton
Played by Kim Greist
A mysterious truck driver who becomes the object of Sam's obsession, mirroring the woman from his dreams while actively resisting the system.
Harry Tuttle
Played by Robert De Niro
A rogue heating engineer and terrorist who operates outside the system, fixing things efficiently while evading government capture.
Jack Lint
Played by Michael Palin
Sam's childhood friend turned government torturer who represents cheerful complicity with the totalitarian regime.
Mrs. Ida Lowry
Played by Katherine Helmond
Sam's social-climbing mother obsessed with plastic surgery and status, pushing her son toward career advancement.
Mr. Helpmann
Played by Peter Vaughan
A high-ranking government official and family friend who embodies the banality of evil within the bureaucratic system.
Mr. Kurtzmann
Played by Ian Holm
Sam's supervisor at the Ministry of Information who represents petty bureaucratic authority and incompetence.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Sam Lowry sits at his mindless desk job in the Ministry of Information, a cog in a vast bureaucratic machine. He's content in his mediocrity, avoiding promotion and responsibility.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 16 minutes when Sam sees Jill Layton in real life while trying to return the wrongful death check to Mrs. Buttle. She's the woman from his dreams. His desire to find her disrupts his complacent existence.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 35 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Sam actively accepts the promotion to Information Retrieval (the department that tortures suspects), making an irreversible choice to enter the system he's avoided, all to find the woman from his dreams., moving from reaction to action.
At 71 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Sam and Jill escape together to his fantasy countryside. False victory: he seems to have both the girl and freedom from the system, but he's actually deeper in than ever, having falsified records and made himself a target., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 105 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Jill is killed by security forces. Sam's dream woman, his hope for escape and love, dies. The whiff of death: everything Sam reached for is destroyed by the very system he served., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 112 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 78% of the runtime. Sam is captured by his former friend Jack Lint and taken to Information Retrieval for torture. He crosses into Act Three not with hope, but with complete systemic defeat. The "breakthrough" is his final destruction., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Brazil's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Brazil against these established plot points, we can identify how Terry Gilliam utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Brazil within the drama genre.
Terry Gilliam's Structural Approach
Among the 8 Terry Gilliam films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Brazil takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Terry Gilliam filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Terry Gilliam analyses, see The Brothers Grimm, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and The Fisher King.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Sam Lowry sits at his mindless desk job in the Ministry of Information, a cog in a vast bureaucratic machine. He's content in his mediocrity, avoiding promotion and responsibility.
Theme
Kurtzmann tells Sam, "We're all in it together," revealing the film's theme about conformity versus individuality, and how systems consume those who serve them.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of the dystopian world: the clerical error that kills Buttle instead of Tuttle, Sam's dreams of a mysterious woman, his mother's obsession with plastic surgery, and the absurdist bureaucracy that governs every aspect of life.
Disruption
Sam sees Jill Layton in real life while trying to return the wrongful death check to Mrs. Buttle. She's the woman from his dreams. His desire to find her disrupts his complacent existence.
Resistance
Sam debates whether to pursue Jill or maintain his safe status quo. Tuttle appears as a rogue heating engineer, representing freedom from the system. Sam reluctantly accepts promotion to Information Retrieval to access records and find Jill.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Sam actively accepts the promotion to Information Retrieval (the department that tortures suspects), making an irreversible choice to enter the system he's avoided, all to find the woman from his dreams.
Mirror World
Sam connects with Jill Layton, who represents everything opposite to his bureaucratic world: she's direct, rebellious, and unconcerned with the system. Their relationship will teach him what freedom actually costs.
Premise
Sam pursues Jill while working in Information Retrieval. The "fun" of watching him navigate bureaucracy, alter records to protect Jill, experience romance, and see his dream life seemingly within reach. Tuttle helps him with his apartment ducts.
Midpoint
Sam and Jill escape together to his fantasy countryside. False victory: he seems to have both the girl and freedom from the system, but he's actually deeper in than ever, having falsified records and made himself a target.
Opposition
The system closes in. Sam's falsifications are discovered. His friend Jack Lint, who tortures for the state, becomes his enemy. Tuttle is consumed by paperwork. Sam's mother sides with the system. Every force conspires against his freedom.
Collapse
Jill is killed by security forces. Sam's dream woman, his hope for escape and love, dies. The whiff of death: everything Sam reached for is destroyed by the very system he served.
Crisis
Sam processes the loss in darkness and despair. He attends his mother's party in a daze, confronted by the hollow superficiality of those who've fully submitted to the system. He realizes he has nothing left to lose.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Sam is captured by his former friend Jack Lint and taken to Information Retrieval for torture. He crosses into Act Three not with hope, but with complete systemic defeat. The "breakthrough" is his final destruction.
Synthesis
Fantasy and reality blur. Sam appears rescued by Tuttle and rebels, but it's revealed to be delusion. Jack Lint tortures him. In Sam's mind, he escapes into his dream world permanently, achieving "freedom" only through complete mental breakdown.
Transformation
Sam sits catatonic in the torture chair, humming "Brazil" to himself, completely insane but smiling. He's transformed from conformist bureaucrat to broken rebel - the system has won. The closing image mirrors his opening contentment, but now it's madness, not acceptance.