The Zero Theorem (2013)

Are you here alone?

We are generally everywhere alone. 

Quite an intriguing film that has just managed to slip under the radar despite having such a high profile cast of Christoph Waltz, Matt Damon, Tilda Swinton and David Thewlis (Lupin from the Harry Potter series).

Directed by Terry Gilliam (known for Life of Brian and Twelve Monkeys), the movie is admittedly pretty kooky. Qohen (Waltz) is a hermit who lives in an abandoned church and is bestowed with the task of proving the ‘zero theorem’ that 0 = 100%, i.e. that everything is nothing. Although he is faced with a seemingly pointless and depressing task, throughout the film he is obsessed with waiting for a phone call which will tell him his purpose in life. The plot is quite convoluted so rather than explaining the story, here’s the general gist:

It really took me a while to figure this movie out, but it actually began to grow on me the more I thought about it. Most critics of the film complain that Gilliam’s ideas are too haphazard and the storyline is unnecessarily confusing. Which, to be honest, is a fair call. As soon as the movie starts we are thrown head first into this bizarre world of the future where no explanations were thought to be necessary. Many of the concepts explored are also quite abstract for example, the opening scene of a black hole. But it was only after the movie had ended that I really began to process everything that had happened and all the bits and pieces came together.

But as usual, Christoph Waltz pulled a Christoph Waltz and somehow transformed the extremely socially awkward Qohen who describes himself in first person plural, into the only seemingly normal human being in such a crazy society. While it’s definitely not a contender for Feel-good Movie of the Year, the message of the film is not as bleak as it seems. At its heart, the film reminds us about the randomness and harsh realities of life – most of which are not able to be controlled. Qohen’s relationship with Bainsley however, provides a flint of hope (despite the fact that he is twice her age and in the real world he would be called something that starts with P and rhymes with Schmedophile).

I honestly think this movie has been unfairly put down by a lot of critics for being too abstract and weird but that was one of the things I liked most about The Zero Theorem. I found it quite refreshing to sit through a film that didn’t need to prove itself to be real simply because it was so weird that it didn’t resemble anything in real life anyway. I will say though that it may not be for everyone, but if arty farty is your thing or you’re in the market for something a little off centre, then it’s definitely worth a watch.

Also, how creepy is Matt Damon as Management?

IMDb: 6.2/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 54%

My rating: