Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'The Zero Theorem'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

The meaning of life is paramount to our survival. We feel as though we must have a purpose, a direction, something that makes the food we eat, the air we breathe and the memories we hold near and dear have a purpose. Without having that meaning we feel that life is simply not worth living and we fear what life could be without it.  

Yes, the thought of having no purpose or meaning in this life, is one to scare all of us to our core. It drives us to find that meaning and while some folks discover it and find the peace they have been so desperately looking for, there are others still searching, and they feel the fear closing in.  It is a quest that has driven man to its greatest achievements and its darkest hours and it is that search for meaning that is central to Terry Gilliam's The Zero Theorem.  

Qohen Leth is a brilliant man. He is wonderful at the work he performs, in fact his work comes natural to him. But something is amiss about him.  He is distant from other people, so much in fact that he would prefer the solitude of working at home rather than facing others, so that he can finally receive an important and life changing phone call. Yet his desire to disappear has put him front and center in the eyes of his employer and management puts him on a special task. He is to analyze the Zero Theorem, a theory that questions the purpose of reality and our existence and it will turn out to be Qohen's greatest challenge yet. For in the process of trying to discover the secrets of the universe, he will also discover there is no escape from the fabric of humanity that he is a part of. 

To say that The Zero Theorem is a thinking man's film is nothing short of an understatement. Every second, every moment of this motion picture is oozing with symbolism and thought and that makes it an absolutely brilliant motion picture. It is a film teeming with so many layers with its thoughts on the meaning of life, its damnation of modern technology and quite frankly, what it means to live.  ​

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In fact at its core this film is a tragedy through and through for Qohen is a man completely and utterly broken to pieces by his past. We learn much about him and the pain he carries thanks to an outstanding performance by Christoph Waltz.  Qohen is a man who wants to shun the world due to the fact it has been and in many ways continues to be cruel to him. While he may seem like an everyman, he is anything but. He is a flawed hero in his continued quest to find some kind of purpose. His fear of life without it is heartbreaking to watch, especially when it comes to the simple dramatic twist that he expects the meaning of life to arrive to him with a simple phone call. 

It speaks volumes to the quest we are all on as we wait for that perfect moment when the universe tells us our own purpose. But for every wonderful breakthrough he experiences, there are setbacks, more pain, more suffering and it makes you root for Qohen on so many levels because we have all been there, hoping for the best but seeing everything collapse one moment at a time.  

That's the beauty of The Zero Theorem. Despite the fact that Qohen is surrounded by incredible technology and separated from other people much as the world is in many ways now...humanity finds a way to sneak in and while we may hide behind our glowing screens, we can never escape the fact that every last one of us needs purpose...and meaning. This is truly a beautiful film, and I encourage you to see it as soon as you can, you certainly won't regret it.  ​

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