For a view of dystopian society, today’s movie offering is Brazil, directed by Terry Gilliam in 1985. The story revolves around Sam Lowry, a low-level government employee in a bureaucratic society, and his hunt for a woman who comes to him in his dreams. When he finds her to be a real person, he follows her and gets caught up in the government’s pursuit of Archibald “Harry” Tuttle, a renegade air conditioning repairman and enemy of the state. With surreal visuals, over the top production design, and absurd plotlines, this is a movie that may be hard to follow, but is an important satire about what happens when government gets out of control. (Note: Although the Villa Park Public Library does not own a copy of this movie, you can get it from one of the many SWAN libraries in the consortium. Ask a Service Desk staff member for help!)
It’s well past the year 1984, but the book by George Orwell remains more relevant than ever. Nineteen Eighty-Four (F ORWELL, G.), or sometimes published as 1984, made its debut in 1949 and depicts a totalitarian government that controls the lives of its citizens. The story takes place in Airstrip One, which is the former Britain and a province of Oceana. The main character, Winston Smith, is a worker for the Party, though he secretly abhors it. He meets a woman with similar feelings and they embark on an affair, which is forbidden by the government since sex is only for procreation. This dark look at what the future could hold is a chilling masterpiece to this day.
–Denise K.