(Image courtesy of Voltage Pictures)Very rarely will I go into a movie without seeing a trailer for it. Sure, I may be sold on the story or who the star or director is, but I usually need to see at least some footage to completely sell me on the flick. That said, when I heard Terry Gilliam’s new movie was opening, I didn’t hesitate to go to the theater despite not seeing a single trailer.
Boy, was I in for a treat. Gilliam’s “The Zero Theorem” is simultaneously one of the most bizarre and best things I’ve had the pleasure to experience in theaters this year.
The film stars Christoph Waltz as Qohen (pronounced “Cohen,”) Leth, a computer genius who lives in an abandoned church in an Orwellian future, waiting for a phone call that he thinks will provide him with the meaning of life. When “Management” (Matt Damon) tells him to crack the Zero Theorem, Qohen’s life takes a sudden change that see’s him diving head first into cracking the code.
Waltz’s performance, as usual, is spectacular. He plays Qohen as the oddball hermit that he is, and yet there’s something incredibly endearing about his character and his hope that he’ll suddenly receive a life affirming phone call, despite the audience knowing the call is never coming.
Damon is excellent as well as the slimy, corporate boss. Although his role is a small one, it’s an important one. It’s obvious Damon was having fun with the role in all of the scenes in which he appears. Young actor Lucas Hedges (“Moonrise Kingdom,” “Labor Day”) plays Bob, Management’s son who befriends Qohen and assists him with breaking the code.
Hedges performs excellently in the role. He nails the delivery of every line, really bringing to life some of the film’s best lines and giving a good dose of Gilliam’s oddball humor.
Gilliam, the former "Monty Python" star who directed 1985’s “Brazil,” brings his version of the future to life beautifully. The film's world is immersive, satirical and bizarre, everything one would expect from a director whose visual style is as distinct as Gilliam’s.
Simply put, it’s Gilliam's best looking film since “Brazil” and quite possibly on his entire résumé. It’s a shame so much of the film takes place in Qohen’s church, because I really would have loved to see some more of the future as Gilliam sees it.
First-time screenwriter Pat Rushin’s script manages to balance the bizarre story and plot elements with incredibly well-written, lovable characters that make the film a joy to watch. Audiences will surely begin to care for Qohen, and I really enjoyed the film’s incredibly ambiguous ending that could mean several different things for him.
The script asks the audience to ponder a lot of big questions about the meaning of life, but it does so in an eloquent way so as to make sure they are not drawn out of the film and have something to consider after watching the film.
The film does take about 20 minutes for the story to get set into motion, but once it does, the rest of the film is an absolute joy to watch. I’m actually really glad I went into the film cold, because it allowed me to fully immerse myself in Gilliam’s world and connect with the characters, because I knew as little as they did about their predicament.
It was a relief to see the film finally get a wide distribution (it played several festivals last year, including Fantastic Fest where it garnered rave reviews). Although it may not be for everyone, I can’t recommend it enough to those who love a good science fiction film, or just any of the actors involved. It certainly deserves a chance.
Reach the reporter at seweinst@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @S_Weinstein95
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