Terry Gilliam is among the most visionary filmmakers of all time, and The Zero Theorem is his first feature since 2009’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which was only partially finished before lead actor Heath Ledger died. With The Zero Theorem, Gilliam has returned to the dystopian sci-fi themes that mark two of his best films, Brazil and 12 Monkeys. While the movie is visually striking and full of the flairs that make Gilliam’s movies so clever, The Zero Theorem suffers from a story that focuses too much on computer screens at the expense of the more interesting human drama.
The unbelievably talented Christoph Waltz portrays Qohen Leth, a brilliant computer mathematician who feels out of place in the modern world. Qohen is surrounded by a colorful, self-absorbed, digital-obsessed cultural, but he dresses in dark colors and distances himself from any interaction — human, digital, or otherwise — in the abandoned church he lives in (religion has become a commodity in this society). Qohen is actually so out of it that he refers to himself in the plural — we, us, etc. — to reflect both his mindset and the nature of humanity. His only goal is to work from his abandoned, cavernous church, so he can wait by the phone for the call (Qohen believes he is waiting for a call that would answer all his questions about life… you’ll see why he believes that). His attempts to appeal to Management (Matt Damon) pay off, and Qohen begins working at home on an equation called the Zero Theorem. However, Qohen’s work is interrupted by his meddlesome boss Joby (David Thewlis), teenage genius Bob (Lucas Hedges), the online psychologist Dr. Shrink-Rom (Tilda Swinton), and, most importantly, the sexually alluring Bainsley (Mélanie Thierry).
Comparisons to Brazil are natural. In many ways The Zero Theorem appears to be Gilliam’s digital age version of Brazil. Much like Brazil, Gilliam has created an absurd near-future world of ridiculousness in which we have been dominated by our worst technological vices. The outside world is dominated by day-glo colors and hypersexualized advertising on top of advertising, plus all of the background characters are shown either with an electronic device in their hands or using that device to take some kind of ridiculous selfie. Gilliam clearly has his finger on the pulse of the technologically-obsessed youth and finds new ways to poke fun at the silliness we see around us every day.
Yet as spot-on as Gilliam is in terms of cultural commentary, The Zero Theorem is weak in other areas. There are dozens of ideas here, and not all of them are fully executed or delivered in the subtext. The problem is that so much of The Zero Theorem is based on Qohen sitting at his computer while he processes data. It just makes the movie drag, no matter how interesting the sociological commentary of the film is overall. Gilliam and rookie screenwriter Pat Rusin clearly have a lot to say about solitude in the self-absorbed digital age and how the “machines” of our lives never stop. Waltz is wonderful in the lead role, but The Zero Theorem is missing the compelling narrative arcs of Brazil or 12 Monkeys. Perhaps I would appreciate it more on repeated viewings, but based on my initial watch I couldn’t help but be disappointed. After all, poking fun at our culture is easy for Gilliam.
Rating: The material is pure Gilliam, but the execution is all over the existential map (5.5/10).
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