Review: "The Zero Theorem" is Brilliant Pop Art for the Deviants

Christoph Waltz

What is art but provocation? Art is a series of images that make us feel happy, sad, confused, and everything in between. It often alienates the viewer, forcing a more profound impact that alters their way of thinking. No matter how "real" art can be, it is entirely fictional and a product of the master to reflect their own psyche, whether it be emotional or political. It is a strange concoction that dizzies us into believing that anything is possible. It asks us to escape into another realm and sympathize for somebody else. Art's job is not to inform, but to create a satisfaction of incomparable magnitudes. In this regards, director Terry Gilliam's latest The Zero Theorem is that of art. Does it make any sense? Not necessarily. However, it is a strange, beautiful piece of free flowing ideas that don't answer so much as provoke conversation.

Completing Gilliam's dystopian trilogy known as "Orwellian Triptych" (featuring Brazil and 12 Monkeys), the story follows Qohen Leth (Christoph Waltz) as he wanders through a universe where people interact through computers, Batman has his own church, and he is in charge of solving The Zero Theorem while waiting for an unknown caller. This is done through playing video games and dealing with a wisecracking partner Bob (Lucas Hedges) and an ongoing romance with a webcam stripper named Bainsley (Melanie Thierry). From there, the story only becomes more surreal as it comes to involve a black hole, a dislocated beach, and personal revelations of Qohen's life.

The film serves as vintage Gilliam. The playful sci-fi director is clearly having fun with the set designs, which are colorful, cartoonish while also seeming bleak and mechanical. It is a world that wants to laugh, but not without controlling society through droll sales tactics. It is a consumer culture that Qohen is isolated from thanks to his job, which is done in a pale, archaic building that is completely different from the lush, partying counterparts who frequent their equivalence of night clubs and take drugs. It is a world full of wisecracks, innocuous repetition, and talking pizza boxes. The world is so rich with idiosyncratic details that it is harder to find a film that is this eccentric in 2014. Even the far crazier Lucy takes itself too seriously to come close to Gilliam's untethered brain. It is for the most part just one unexpected visual after another. It may try to be high concept, but not without spouting jokes and bringing surreal visual comedy to the forefront. The Zero Theorem succeeds in disabling the viewer before it ever gets to the meaty concepts.

By the end, the explorations present in the film don't make a lot of sense. Then again, a film of this nature isn't supposed to. Don't let this frustration keep you from enjoying Gilliam's achievements. While the plot isn't all that engaging after a point, he has created a universe full of art. Like the statement at the start of the film suggests: What is The Zero Theorem? Nobody knows for sure. Instead of pigeonholing the plot, the film creates something wholly unknown and leaves the viewer in discomfort, much like Qohen. It is a story about thematic elements more than solving the concept. Is this an acceptable alternative? Not exactly. Even then, the film manages to provoke a lot of awe-inspiring moments in ways that most sci-fi films haven't. In an era where Guardians of the Galaxy is too obsessed with world building than actual fun, to see Gilliam achieve surrealism in spades is a breath of fresh air, even if the film is highly problematic.

Matt Damon

The easiest complaint to be made is that this is Gilliam doing preexisting Gilliam. It doesn't exactly revolutionize his style or bring anything new. In fact, the story here is less satisfying than the other Orwellian Triptych pieces. It accepts the mystery without ever providing a deeper impact. It desires to be a strange concoction in a world so stylized and isolated from the modern landscape that it is impossible to ever fully feel a connection. Where 12 Monkeys jumped around, it had enough basis in the contemporary society to present something unique that hadn't been seen before. It also helped that it was more of a mystery film than a specific sci-fi film. What's the mystery in The Zero Theorem? Solve The Zero Theorem. Nothing too exciting there. It all has to rely on its characters, which is predominantly a showcase for Waltz, Hedges, and Thierry. With every other actor coming in and out of the scene, these three are relied upon to add a grounded sensibility to things. The only thing is that Thierry's stripper is just as eccentric as the rest of the universe and her femme fatale aspects can easily be mistaken for the simple male gaze. The film has lofty goals, and it doesn't help that it tosses in a few jarring pop culture references to spice things up.

It is an overacting landscape that thankfully is centered by Waltz. An actor prone to making everything better, his somber personality is called upon to raise questions. His serious persona works to make putting on garish outfits and spending a strong portion of time staring at a computer into something more bizarre. Where the world is increasingly turning into a cartoon with bland, repetitive catchphrases, he is the sanity that makes The Zero Theorem an overall enjoyable, ambitious film that doesn't entirely fall flat. It may be too goofy to be great, but it is pure Gilliam and ranks as a seminal success. Nowhere else is a film of this visual and mental magnitude going to get made. We should be thankful that even as disjointed as it is that The Zero Theorem exists to challenge sci-fi. It needs to be freaky and boy is Gilliam freaky.

Is it Gilliam's best? No. However, with a solid performance by Waltz and one of the most gorgeously colorful yet droll worlds of 2014, it is a special film that works on its own frustrating logic. It won't likely convert newcomers to the brilliance of the director, but it won't offend longtime fans, either. It is a challenging one that may not entirely satisfy, but it will bend your mind and maybe ask too much. It provokes and creates art that is essentially stimuli more than intellect. This isn't a bad thing as he mixes camp with complexity in equal doses. It isn't the most satisfying strange sci-fi experience of 2014 (Lucy), but the master is back to show how a film with personality can survive on nothing but sheer spectacle and charm.