Brazil, another offering by former Python Terry Gilliam, is a surreal satire of a bureaucratic society reminiscent of the one in George Orwell's seminal novel 1984. The film has a slapstick humour and weirdness that is not present in 1984, however. Like with a lot of weird cult films, a lot of the strangeness comes from the imagery. Brazil is full of surreal and oft-times frightening images and boasts some truly exceptional set design. The film was a commercial failure when it was released but has been embraced by critics who often cite it as one of the best British films of all time. Brazil's influence can be seen in the Coen brothers and the equally surreal work of French directing team Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro.
