Being the final part of Terry Gilliam's trilogy of unrelated movies set in dystopian futures (begun in 1985 with Brazil and continued in 1995 with Twelve Monkeys), The Zero Theorem drops us into the middle of an Orwellian, candy coloured nightmare, that, despite being unapologetically over the top, has a ring of horrible truth to it, considering how much technology encroaches on modern day life on a daily basis. Advertising takes up every available free space it can, Batman fandom has evolved to become a religion, and social gatherings are played out under the sickening glow of mobile devices permanently attached to party goers hands. It's a fantastically realised world, chock full of wonderful little details, that serves as the perfect back drop for this tale of existential angst and finding ones place in the universe.
Kicking off with a shot of a yawning void, you're pretty much thrown headfirst into the story of office drone Qohen Leth (Christoph Waltz) and his desperate wait for a phone call he believes will explain the meaning of life. Ordered by the shadowy figure known only as Management (Matt Damon) to work on solving the Zero Theorem, an equation which will map out the ultimate fate of the universe, Leth finds his closed off and ordered life begin to fall apart. After the initial info dump of a set up, the narrative slows down once the a plot kicks in. There is a deep story at play here, which isn't as explored as well as it could have been, along with threatening to become convoluted at times, but it does add up to an entertaining movie. It becomes something of a two hander for the most part, between Leth and charismatic call girl Bainsley (Melanie Thierry) or young genius Bob (Lucas Hedges), the impressive church set which dominates most of the second act giving it the feeling of a stage play. The story takes a turn for the heartfelt when it explores a pretty sweet romance between Bainsley and Leth, but it soon gives way to the usual Gilliam darkness. After a bit of a slow down in the second act, the story picks up again for the finale which ties together all the plot strands perfectly, and delivering a very satisfying finale.
The visuals are absolutely breathtaking, from the crowded streets to the movies vision of a future Internet, but they are handled with a degree of tact so that they don't overtake the story. After the senses assaulting opening scene, the visuals take something of a back seat, letting the actors step up to the plate. Waltz delivers a very different role than we are used to from him as Leth, being more subdued than we usually see him. He brings a hard edgedness to the role that slowly is eroded as Leth finally lets people get close to him. Thierry brings a bit of fun to proceedings as Bainsley, but as with all the characters, this soon gives way to something deeper.
A visually stunning slice of typical Gilliam weirdness, The Zero Theorem delivers a perfectly told, compelling story anchored by some very fine performances. Highly recommended!
Kicking off with a shot of a yawning void, you're pretty much thrown headfirst into the story of office drone Qohen Leth (Christoph Waltz) and his desperate wait for a phone call he believes will explain the meaning of life. Ordered by the shadowy figure known only as Management (Matt Damon) to work on solving the Zero Theorem, an equation which will map out the ultimate fate of the universe, Leth finds his closed off and ordered life begin to fall apart. After the initial info dump of a set up, the narrative slows down once the a plot kicks in. There is a deep story at play here, which isn't as explored as well as it could have been, along with threatening to become convoluted at times, but it does add up to an entertaining movie. It becomes something of a two hander for the most part, between Leth and charismatic call girl Bainsley (Melanie Thierry) or young genius Bob (Lucas Hedges), the impressive church set which dominates most of the second act giving it the feeling of a stage play. The story takes a turn for the heartfelt when it explores a pretty sweet romance between Bainsley and Leth, but it soon gives way to the usual Gilliam darkness. After a bit of a slow down in the second act, the story picks up again for the finale which ties together all the plot strands perfectly, and delivering a very satisfying finale.
The visuals are absolutely breathtaking, from the crowded streets to the movies vision of a future Internet, but they are handled with a degree of tact so that they don't overtake the story. After the senses assaulting opening scene, the visuals take something of a back seat, letting the actors step up to the plate. Waltz delivers a very different role than we are used to from him as Leth, being more subdued than we usually see him. He brings a hard edgedness to the role that slowly is eroded as Leth finally lets people get close to him. Thierry brings a bit of fun to proceedings as Bainsley, but as with all the characters, this soon gives way to something deeper.
A visually stunning slice of typical Gilliam weirdness, The Zero Theorem delivers a perfectly told, compelling story anchored by some very fine performances. Highly recommended!
