Illusion Of Freedom In Brazil

Najee Martin
English 2105
Robert Stiles
04 April 2017
The Illusion of Freedom and Choice Freedom is not a new concept to many of people around the world, however while many will scream proudly about their own freedom, do they know how little freedom they have, how little of a choice is present? Many would not notice the great illusion of freedom that even our society has today, with the warrantless surveillance of their citizens online, to the consumers who are unaware that many companies sell foods, clothes, and more under many different brands, to trick the consumer into believing they have a choice. In Terry Gilliam’s film Brazil, many of the citizens in this dystopian, totalitarian society face the same issue of an illusion of freedom,
In the first scene of Brazil an advertisement for ducts is aired on a television. Ducts are contraptions in citizens’ everyday lives, wired throughout every house. These ducts are supposed to make people’s lives easier, although as it can be seen by the first few scenes of the film filled with contraptions malfunctioning at seemingly simple tasks, it often makes them harder. These ducts are not optional for citizens, and pass information along to and from the government. The ducts in this film are the first major symbol of this societies illusion of freedom. The commercial perpetuates this illusion when it states: “Hi there. I want to talk to you about ducts. Do your ducts seem old-fashioned, out of date? Central Services’ new duct designs are now available in hundreds of different colors to suit your individual tastes. Hurry now, while stocks last, to your nearest Central Services showroom. Designer colors to suit your demanding tastes.” Individuals can choose and customize the looks of their ducts and can even choose one
This thought process has led to a society filled with materialism, obsessed with buying, and obsessed with this illusion of choice even though, in this aspect of their lives, no choice exists. In one scene of Brazil, a group of characters are enjoying a brunch. They are given a choice of a few foods, many of them picking different ones, however when the food arrives it all looks the same, as unappetizing green blobs, completely different from the picture on the menu with the characters complacently accepting this fact. Even though they “chose” what they wanted, they still ended up with the same exact meals, and accepted this nonchalantly. This shows just how deep this illusion is for society. But with consumerism as the only outlet of freedom, this society glorified buying to the point of absurdity, even making an actual religion, “the consumers for Christ,” to justify the rampant and senseless materialism that is present in their society due to the lack of choice and freedom. Even death has become a part of the materialistic lifestyle. Mrs. Terrain’s funeral shows this as we see a bright pink, expensive looking coffin, gift-wrapped, not unlike any other purchase near the Christmas season would look. However, Mrs. Terrain, whose body was liquefied from plastic surgery gone wrong, symbolizes how destructive this society’s values