Welcome one and all to part 11 of my weekly blog series, The 52 In 52. If you didn't know the concept behind by now, I have a big collection of DVDs and Blu Ray that I have bought over the years and let them sit on the shelf gathering dust. This year I will watch one a week and review it. Before I begin I want to encourage you to check out last weeks post on Dario Argento's Opera.
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This week I will be talking about the 2013 science fiction film, Zero Theorem.
Zero Theorem was written by Pat Rushin and directed by Terry Gilliam. The story follows Qohen Leth (Christoph Waltz), a reclusive computer programmer for the mysterious Mancom corporation who is trying to prove a formula that will decide whether life has any meaning. As Leth works on the formula he encounters a number of strange characters that begin to affect every aspect of his equally bizarre life.
I enjoyed Zero Theorem a lot but, I will say this is a film that you have to sit down and make an effort with. At it's heart the story, in my opinion, is about how technology is furthering people from actual human contact and our reliance on technology in aspects of our lives. The story is quite hard to follow at times and it jumps around a lot in the beginning. Once the focus centres on Qohen and his struggle trying to prove the Zero Theorem there is a great mix of sadness and dark humour that I really enjoyed.
I really enjoyed Qohen's interactions with his co worker Joby (David Thewlis) and his constant correcting Joby. Lucas Hedges is entertaining as Bob, a wonder kid programmer tasked with helping Qohen. I feel the best of the supporting roles falls to Bainsley (Melanie Thierry) who is mesmerising and frenetic throughout. I loved the connection between Bainsley and Qohen, becoming more human and romantic as the film progressed.
The set design is fantastic throughout. There is a great balance of crumbling architecture and modern technology which made Zero Theorem feel like a classic science fiction film. Qohens house is dark and almost gothic and I felt represented his characters separation from modern society. As technology and modern society is incorporated into Qohens life his life begins to crumble around him and turns against him and this is represented by the VR suit he wears to interact with Bainsley injuring him.
Overall Zero Theorem is visually stunning and whilst there are some glimmers of hope, at it's heart it is a dark and depressing social commentary on modern societies reliance on technology rather than human interaction. The story is a little difficult to follow at times but, the dark humour and acting are more than enough to make Zero Theorem worth watching.
Thanks for reading and look out for the next instalment of The 52 In 52 next Thursday.
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