This was supposed to be… | PIOTR GZOWSKI

This was supposed to be an article about Terry Gilliam’s 1985 film Brazil, a fable which takes a place in an alternate reality during the Christmas season where government bureaucracy discourages any solution to any problem , where logging an official complaint is not only an administrative nightmare but also considered an act of treason, and where the citizenry is so inured to violence that when a bomb explodes in a restaurant the wait staff shields the unaffected patrons view of the gore by setting up portable screens around their tables so that their lunches are not disrupted. The article would gone on how the film was an insightful forecast of contemporary trends and mores. It would have most certainly cumulated in some righteous moral remark that 35-years later the fable is the current reality.

Then, it occurred to me that everyone has already heard this kind of banter. My chattering on about it would be akin to strapping an extra hundred-pound load onto the back of an already dead pack mule. Therefore, somewhere in mid-sentence in paragraph three, my fingers refused to keep typing.

Writing a commentary about films places the author in a precarious position because there is a misconception that that opinion about a movie must have value. The truth is that value should never be measured by anyone’s assessment except one’s own. But 2020 was grueling. The assault of COVID-19 coupled with the tomfooleries surrounding election year politics made maintaining a sense of normalcy impossible. It was as if we were suddenly all cast in a Looney Tunes cartoon as Wiley Coyote – no matter how strong our efforts were to feel better about something, that anvil still came down on our heads.

For me, films were always a refuge, and the transition from the movie theater to the home screen has been difficult. Watching a film at home, even on a large flat screen, comes at the cost of losing the ambiance of the movie theater, mutually sharing the experience with the audience, and missing the simple pleasure of getting out of the house out “to catch a flick”. It was the “going to the…” and “coming back from…” , alone or with a friend, that made the movie theater a unique experience. It’s just not the same in week-old pajamas on the couch.

However, for me, there is still an upside. Films have provided some of the best usable lines for recovering some sense of sanity. And, in the spirit of the coming New Year, I now share a few with you:

Regarding living in the world – “Being human is a condition which requires an anesthetic”. (Freddie Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody)

Regarding aging – “It’s not the years, honey. It’s the mileage” (Indiana Jones)

Regarding reality - “You can’t handle the truth!” (A Few Good Men)

Regarding the encroaching jaws of cultural indifference - “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” (Jaws)

Regarding the vocal self-righteous – “To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people!” (A Fish Called Wanda)

Regarding self-awareness - “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” (The Usual Suspects)

Regarding the young -  “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” (Dead Poets Society)

Regarding today – “Just keep swimming.” (Finding Nemo)

Regarding tomorrow – “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.” (All About Eve)

Regarding the dismissal of history – “All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain” (Blade Runner)

Regarding personal advice:

Should you ever encounter 2020 coming out of an Italian Pasticceria, shoot it in the face then - “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli” (The Godfather)

Should you ever be totally, publicly humiliated by anyone, in response, take a deep breath and in a loud, bold voice say - “Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries” (Monty Python and the Holy Grail).

The most practical perspective regarding the coming year – “There are 106 miles to Chicago, we have a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark, and we’re wearing sunglasses.” (Blues Brothers)

However, should the current madness never end, then, the only appropriate response is – “Gentlemen I wash my hands of this weirdness.” (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End)

This is my gift to you for 2021.

If you have an opportunity to see Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, take it. It’s interesting view regarding the devolution of society, by a filmmaker back in 1985.

Of course, dear reader, as always, this is only my opinion. Watch some films, find your own favorite quotes, and always judge for yourself.