Terry Gilliam has been in a distressing 16-year slump, helming three forgettable features since his magnificently deranged Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The collapse (but not demise) of his long-dreamed Don Quixote adaptation may have contributed, but the fact of Gilliam’s creative stagnation matters more than the reasons. Happily, his latest work, the dystopian satire The Zero Theorem, returns the filmmaker to a genre that suits his strengths: coal-black humor, brassy cultural criticism, and inimitable near-future design.
Zero concerns one Qohen Lethe (Christoph Waltz), a virtuoso programmer-hacker who solves abstract problems for the ubiquitous Mancom Corporation. Miserable and a little eccentric, Qohen longs to telecommute, partly because he believes that the outside world is slowly killing him, and partly because he is expecting a mysterious call at home. He eventually catches the attention of Management (Matt Damon) and is granted his request. His new project, however, is to crack the Zero Theorem, an equation that will allegedly prove the pointlessness of the universe. From there the film dives deep into Qohen’s headspace as he descends into obsession, confusion, and existential dread.
Zero echoes many other sci-fi tales and satires—from π to Total Recall to Josie and the Pussycats—but its clearest affinities are with Gilliam’s Brazil and Twelve Monkeys. Indeed, Zero at times borders on an outright retread of the former. Yet the new film is the most fraught and morally knotted of the three, an often discomfiting fable of capitalism run amok in a godless world. The film’s look is distinctive while remaining essentially Gilliam: a Blade Runner meets Chuck E Cheese hell of derelict buildings, eye-searing color, and countless shrieking advertisements. While The Zero Theorem is more cult pleasure than genre milestone, it’s always welcome when an iconic filmmaker regains their footing.
The Zero Theorem will screen at 7:30 p.m. on September 20 and 21 at the Webster Film Series, located in the Winifred Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood) on the Webster University campus. Admission is $6 (cash only).
