The Zero Theorem

THE ZERO THEOREM

Director : Terry Gilliam

Year : 2014

Genre : Science Fiction

Rating : ****

 

Continuing and modernising the themes and ideologies that he bought up in his 1985 opus 'Brazil', director Terry Gilliam explores the meaning of life and the pull that destiny has over our lives in his latest science fiction masterwork 'The Zero Theorem'. Starring a stoic Christoph Waltz, the movie lays bare all of the paranoid fears that engulf our existences and encapsulates them in this very strange but highly entertaining commentary on our perception of fate and the irresistable and infectious effect that technology and social media has now had on a huge majority of mankind. As always, Gilliam explores these ideas in a very overt, almost Kierkegaardian manner and thanks to some wonderful set designs and typically ground breaking special effects, he seamlessly weaves in a narrative that is both challenging and existential; a narrative that will certainly ring true to anyone who may have lost their religion or even the entire point of life. Funny, bizarre and head scrambling-ly intelligent, 'The Zero Theorem' is just the next chapter in the career of a filmmaker who is all at once unique, omnipresent and scabrously profound.

Set in an all seeing Orwellian future, Waltz plays Qohen, a bored computer hacker who is in the middle of an existential crisis; continually waiting for a mysterious phone call that he believes will tell him how to lead his time on Earth as well as revealing all of the true meanings of life. While working one day, Qohen is told by his eccentric manager (David Thewlis) that he has been reassigned and is now designated to try and find the titular 'Zero Theorem'; a strange numeric formula that will determine the fact that life has no purpose. Confused and angered by this apocalyptic ideology, Qohen becomes increasingly erratic and as he works his way closer and closer to the answers he has been searching for his whole life, he starts a self destructive series of events that may not only spell doom for his own sanity and health but may also bring down the end of religion and psychology for the rest of mankind. 

As is the case with every Gilliam movie, 'The Zero Theorem' has it's own distinctive look and thanks to both the work of it's set designer Adrian Curelea and cinematographer Nicola Pecorini, the movie has both a new modern aesthetic as well as a decrepit, ancient almost polluted ambience. Full of flourescent tubes and futuristic computers, 'The Zero Theorem' has the same piping theme that runs all of the way through his previous work 'Brazil' and the various instruments and hardware that forms the basis of technology are very well realised; clearly alien but also possible. While I have absolutely no idea how or what the Zero Theorem does or how it is found, Gilliam manages to place us at ease in this strange new world thanks to a well written and edgy screenplay and the talents of it's lead star Christoph Waltz.

Best known for his rambunctious roles in Quentin Tarantino's epics 'Django Unchained' and 'Inglourious Basterds', Waltz is an actor who is known for his distinctive line delivery and overall screen presence. However 'The Zero Theorem' strips away any sense of personality and charisma allowing him to convey character and emotion in a much more minimalistic and palpable fashion. Given a relatively small amount of dialogue to say, Waltz manages to still generate emotion and empathy through his astonishing body language and larger than life persona. Playing a man who is on the brink of losing his entire motivation for life, Waltz perfectly manages to encapsulate the anxiety and loneliness of existential angst and while Qohen may not be as liberal or as blaze as Hans Landa or Dr. King Schultz, he may be the most recognisably human character Christoph Waltz has ever played. 

As is the case with every Terry Gilliam movie, 'The Zero Theorem' explores many different themes but it is through this character that the director manages to explore his most perfect and stark ideology; that despite the fact that we live in a connected world, we are just as lonely as the hermit on the hills. Much like David Cronenberg's 'eXistenZ' did, 'The Zero Theorem' says that the social media technology we have at our fingertips is only a macguffin, a veil for our own sheltered, completely isolated existences and if we don't try to limit the input that they have on our lives, we might as well be computers ourselves; content just to type nonsense into a keyboard and wait impatiently for a response. Bringing an air of gravitas to the proceedings, Waltz is the human backbone to this very inhuman parable. 

While I certainly enjoyed 'The Zero Theorem', I can't say that it is without it's faults. The screenplay while interesting and dynamic can at times lose itself in rambling philosophical paraphrase and the inclusion of a number of cameos from actors such as Tilda Swinton, Matt Damon, Peter Stormare and Ben Whishaw can prove to be rather distracting at times. It is certainly not as focused as the best of Gilliams work such as 'Brazil' and it lacks the underlying sadness or emotionally driven heart of his more personal works such as 'Tideland' or '12 Monkey's. However, the performances from it's supporting cast are very good and Christoph Waltz continually manages to bring us back into the high concept narrative with his stark and reclusive portrayal of Qohen. As bold as '12 Monkeys', as zany as 'The Many Adventures Of Baron Munchausen' and as portentous as 'Brazil', 'The Zero Theorem' is the apotheosis of a career that has continually stretched the boundaries of modern contemporary cinema. A true visionary, Terry Gilliam may be the most important filmmaker working today and I for one welcome his return to the big screen since the fun but ultimately disappointing 'The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus' four years ago.