IN 1985, the year I graduated high school, the bizarre and darkly comedic film Brazil was released. Although it quickly became one of those movies that are tritely described as “a cult classic,” it was largely a bust at the mainstream box office; the reaction of my girlfriend at the time—“I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to laugh or not”—was apparently typical of most of the audience, who just couldn’t quite wrap their heads around the film’s message.