THE ZERO THEOREM

US/UK, 2014, 107 minutes, Colour.
Christoph Walfz, Melanie Thierry, Lucas Hedges, Matt Damon, David Thewliss, Ben Wishaw, Peter Stormare, Sanjeev Basker, Rupert Friend.
Directed by Terry Gilliam.

After his introduction to British comedy in the form of the Monty Python show, and his contributions of animation to the television series as well as to the Python films, he branched out into direction with Jabberwocky. He began in the 1980s with the very entertaining Time Bandits and the exploration of tedious ordinariness, Brazil. Since then he has been making comparatively few films, but always interesting and arresting for those who been following his career.

His latest film is The Zero Theorem. And, as with some of his other films, audiences will be divided into loyal followers and the baffled who give up.

Fans of Brazil will see a number of connections with this film, the individual who is and is not part of society, working diligently – to what purpose? Here he is Qohen, living and working alone in what seems to be an empty and dilapidated church, with religious symbols and icons of including a crucifix with its head missing and substituted by a surveillance camera. He works at his computer, always answering the phone in the hopes of this being the call which will change his life. He talks to himself and to others, referring to himself as We rather than I.

When he goes out to work, he finds a bizarre city, vehicles recognisable, people in a hurry, but a world surrounded by billboards, huge hoardings, commercials which are spoken out loud, inviting customers to spend – and with the heading “enough is never enough”. Qohen goes to work where he is supervised by Joby (David Thewliss) and asks if he can work at home for his health and better productivity. He goes to see Management, Matt Damon in oddly patterned suits, who agrees. And then he spends a whole year in his hideaway, never going out.

But that does not mean he does not communicate. Those concerned about his mental health have arranged that an Online Shrink will give him advice – played by Tilda Swinton with a Scots accent. He is also caught up, virtually, with a beautiful young woman that he saw at the company party and who helped him when he was choking on a seed. She takes him away to a fantasy world, a tropical beach where he becomes more human, attracted to her, and being rescued when he sinks to the bottom of the water. Gilliam has given her the name Bainsley, odd for a character played by the French actress, Melanie Thierry. Does she really exist or, as she often appears provocatively on his computer screen, only virtual?

Qohen has a task, to investigate the Zero Theorem, dealing with the energy created at the beginning of the universe and is gradually contracting and being consumed in a black hole. He does not know exactly why he is researching this. But it gives the film time to explore some of the questions on the universe, personality, personal identity, ultimate meaning.

The other person who ventures into Qohen’s world is a teenager called Bob (Lucas Hedges), the son of Management. He is a whizzkid with computers, talks in a way that Qohen doesn’t quite always understand, listens to music that is alien to him. Bob tells Qohen that Qohen is either the chosen one, a genius, or else he is just a workaholic. The two work together, explore, have contact with Bainsley and an angry Joby who has been put out of his job because of Qohen.

As the film builds to a climax, there is tension because of an accident to Bob and the arrival of his father – who is either real or simply an image and voice on a computer. What is there left for Qohen except to retreat into the virtual world, a kind of heaven, life after death, that is the fulfilment of his imagination?

For the Gilliam enthusiasts, worth a second look.

1. The impact of the film? Likes and dislikes?

2. The vision of Terry Gilliam, fantasy and reality? The future? Science-fiction?

3. The visuals, the future, fantasy? The interiors of the church? The icons and images? The headless crucifix? The old and the new technologies? The boards, the computer screens? Dark and light, shadow?

4. The exteriors, the scenes of the city, the buses, the people walking, the vast number of commercials, the messages, the images? The words of the images? “Enough is not enough”. The people, the sweeper blocking Qohen’s way, later seeing the sex shop? The party? Management’s room?

5. Introduction to Qohen, no real story of his life, in the church, alone, using We instead of I? At the computer, the phone calls, his disappointment? His feeling sick? Going to work, in the street? At the centre, the various boosts, his working at one? Joby as his supervisor? The discussions about his illness, his doing the exercises, request to work at home, easier to answer the phone, better productivity?

6. His invitation to the party, his arrival, David and his costume, the range of people, Bainsley and her costume? Management and his sitting alone?

7. The character of Management, his suit pattern, and the seat? Reading? Listening? Qohen and his illness? Decisions? His begin to choke, Bainsley and her help?

8. The explanation of the Zero Theorem, the work in searching for entities? The various uploads, the blocks, their putting their being put on the wall, his success? Working in his room and not going out for one year?

9. His need to see a psychiatrist? The Shrink Online? The Program, talking, her face, her words and accent, her advice, the rap, appearing and disappearing, cutting her off? Her admitting that she was told not to change him?

10. Bob, Management’s son, aged 15, his style, relationship with his father, a whizz at commuters computers and research, the modern style of talking, his music? At the keyboard and screen? His explanations, the Theorem? His saying he was bored? His meeting Bainsley, going out, his illness, being put in the bath, the accusations of impropriety for Bob’s death? His father saying a miracle was needed?

11. The Theorem, the universe and its destiny, the big bang, swallowed up in a black hole? The need to prove the Theorem? Bob and his putting the formulae on the pictures in the church? The contraction of the universe, from chaos to chaos?

12. Bainsley, her age, beauty, at the party, helping Qohen? On the screen, the “enter here”, a product of the imagination, her changing? The images at the beach, the play with Qohen, affirming him, rescuing him from the water? Qohen and his hair, content on the beach? How much reality, imagination, virtual? The images of chaos, the pictures scattering through space?

13. Qohen, the transformation, wearing the wig? naked in space, being swallowed?

14. Bainsley, the visitor, her plea, the screen, access denied, confessing, her plea?

15. Qohen and his change, Bob urging him to use I instead of we, wearing the red suit in the church? The pizza meal? With Bob, the possibilities?

16. The bath, Bob and the accident, the monitors, the crucifix and no head, the camera as substitute? Qohen smashing things, their immediate repair?
Joby and his visit, losing his job?

17. The arrival of Management, talking, criticising, dismissing, denouncing? Being seen only on the screen? Qohen and the smash and immediate repairs of the pipes and connections?

18. The end, the black hole, the island, peace, the song, the ball? Qohen and death? This kind of heaven? Heaven is living in the imagination?

19. The iconography, information technology, the city, the church and religious? The final image of the camera crucifix?

20. Terry Gilliam, his love of words, his imagination and animation? Visionary and/or questioning?