The Zero Theorem - Blu-ray Review

Details: By Loron Hays; 28 January 2015

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“I’ve never been an actual Luddite. I don’t hate technology. I just hate the religion around it.” – Terry Gilliam

Visoinary director (of the abstract dramedy) Terry Gilliam takes viewers back to the future with his latest offering of dystopian delicacies in The Zero Theorem. Merging the junked-up atmospheres of his previous films and adding a splash of neon-centric color, Gilliam goes a bit more underground (and smaller) and presents viewers with a confined world where technology is grounded within a framework of soulless isolation. It is a world of waiting – where one brilliant programmer must find the mathematical equation confirming that zero is 100%; a beginning and end that proves just how meaningless everything surrounding our lives is.

The Zero Theorem, while funny and thoughtful, is not unlike staring into a massive black hole. Hypnotic, I suppose, with so much of interest swirling round and round as it builds toward its finale and, finally, goes dark. In fact, this is a visual metaphor that is carried throughout the film rather strikingly as Qohen (Christoph Waltz) works out entities (we call them numbers) for a global corporation called Mancom, overseen in Big Brother fashion by a flashy character known only as Management (Matt Damon). Qohen’s supportive boss (David Thewlis) wants only the best for him but can’t help and wonder why Qohen cannot be happy hacking away and leaving the rest alone. Does he really want to draw attention to himself and disturb the man upstairs?

He does. And his face-to-face meeting with the big CEO is a memorable one. Qohen finds sudden contentment in Manager’s personally assigned project of proving The Zero Theorem but – after staying indoors for a year within an abandoned church – unreality is all he sees. He’s a frustrated mess. He is often distracted by the flirtatious Bainsley (Mélanie Thierry), two size-challenged thugs pressuring him for an answer to the theory, a dotcom therapist with really bad teeth (Tilda Swinson), his own interfering boss, and Bob (Lucas Hedges), the teenage son of Management, who tells Qohen that his father is spying on him. Question everything with a resounding “why?” and believe none of it. What is the value of life? What is the meaning of existence? What's the use?

Originally filmed in 2012, The Zero Theorem completes Gilliam’s dystopian trilogy that began in 1985 with Brazil, continued in 1995 with 12 Monkeys, and (supposedly) ends here with this film in 2015. While I hate to think that Gilliam might depart from this sci-fi fantasy genre, The Zero Theorem is as successful as those films in its exploration of a future that could arguably be ours sooner rather than later. The substance is for the thinkers, the dwellers, the lunatics among us. The questions; however, are real and need to be addressed if we are to continue on this journey around the sun. Qohen suffers from his existential query as he attempts to make real connections with the artificial world around him. Bainsley entices him to connect with her online and when he does a whole new set of problems become clear to him. What is this environment? It’s all an unreal reality.

Gilliam has filmed the movie in the Maxivision format with an 1:1.85 aspect ratio - with 16:9 matting and telecine in mind - so he can be certain that every viewer in the world would see exactly what he’s intended them to see. No, we aren't beyond this formatting issue yet, Big Brother. The result is a pretty interesting picture plate with rounded edges recalling a vintage 1920s movie-going experience when projectors were not yet fitted to disguise the camera gate's round edges. Gilliam directs his actors as purposeful as he envisions his backgrounds. It’s never reckless but it is wild. In one scene, a wall-sized video advertising religion for “The Church of Batman The Redeemer” has a QR code on its screen. If you scan it with your phone, it simply reads “Bat-man is the new Messiah”. Very telling, no?

Waltz deserves recognition for making Qohen so interesting of a character in this film. He is aligned with concentrated gusto as he builds on Qohen’s passions, delusions, and questioning theories. He is his own angst and it is damn near palpable in a comic sense as his disillusionment grows with nonanswers around him. Keep in mind that The Zero Theorem is a small picture. The budget is modest. It was a quick shoot but looks fabulous on the screen and Waltz certainly has a commanding presence throughout it. Be prepared to feel sorry for him and yourself.

The world of today isn’t so different from the future one presented in The Zero Theorem. Yes, Siri, modern life IS rubbish.

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[tab title="Film Details"]

MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexuality/nudity.
Runtime: 107 mins
Director: Terry Gilliam
Writer: Pat Rushin
Cast: Christoph Waltz, Lucas Hedges, Mélanie Thierry
Genre: Sci-fi | Fantasy
Tagline: Nothing is everything.
Memorable Movie Quote: "0 zero must equal 100%. Good Luck."
Distributor: Amplify
Official Site: http://www.thezerotheorem-movie.com/
Release Date: August 19, 2014
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: January 20, 2015
Synopsis: Acclaimed director Terry Gilliam returns with the visually stunning sci-fi epic The Zero Theorem, starring Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz as Qohen, an eccentric and reclusive computer genius. Living in isolation, Qohen is obsessively working on a mysterious project personally delegated to him by Management (Matt Damon) aimed at discovering the meaning of life or the complete lack of oneonce and for all. Increasingly disturbed by visits from people he doesnt fully trust, including the flirtatious Bainsley (Mélanie Thierry), his unpredictable supervisor Job (David Thewlis), and would-be digital therapist Dr. Shrink-Rom (Tilda Swinton), its only when he experiences the power of love and desire that hes able to understand his own reason for being.

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

The Zero Theorem - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - January 20, 2015
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD)
Region Encoding: A

The film is presented in the original 1.85:1 widescreen ratio, although as stated earlier in the review, it’s not quite a conventional 1.85:1 ratio. It’s slightly windowboxed with the corners rounded. It’s also in 1080p high definition and shows off Gilliam’s latest world perfectly, contrasting the bright & colorful world with the dark & depressing. Blacks are solid throughout. Edges are clean and defined and the neon is crisp. The sound is in DTS HD 5.1 and the rears get occasional use as the sound bounces around, while dialogue and ambience are blended with the occasional rendition from Karen Souza playing her 1920s-inspired Jazz version of Radiohead’s Creep.

Supplements:

Commentary:

None

Special Features:

The HD extras have a few solid inclusions (mostly the 30-minute look at the outlandish costumes and the location pieces) with the release. We get to watch the cast and crew comment on their work alongside clips from the film and work-in-progress shots, which show use of both green screen and blue screen. We also get looks at turning Romania into London, glimpses of interviews with the cast, set design, costumes and more, and I don’t know what the film’s budget was, but Gilliam refers to the fact, several times, that he made the film for next to nothing.