Invasion
Gilliam has his camera swiftly move in through the hallway into Jill's bathroom and close up on her. She then is startled that someone is there. Gilliam's camera movement creates the feeling of the invasion before we ever know what is happening in Jill's apartment.
Lowry Intro
We are first introduced to Sam Lowry flying in the clouds during one of his dreams. Gilliam cuts from the gray and dull Ministry of Information office to vibrant colors of the sky lit with the sun in Sam's dream. The imagery shows us that this is a man that doesn't belong in the dullness of his environment at work.
Don't Know What I Want
Sam sits before his computer at the office searching for information on Jill Layton but he isn't able to get through because it is classified. He says that he doesn't know what he is looking for, but right in his hand is the printed photo of Jill. The image shows that though the character is speaking one thing what he knows inside is much different.
Epic Fight
Throughout the film, we see Sam in his dreams fighting for Jill to be free. The imagery helps us to understand the battle that Sam is in. He is fighting himself when he unmasks the samurai and the closer he gets to Jill the harder the battle becomes and the more monsters he has to fight. Gilliam uses this parallel imagery to show that though Sam's life appears dull and gray at the Ministry of Information he is really going through an epic fight.
