MovieChat Forums > The Zero Theorem (2014) Discussion > Anyone care to explain this film? (obvio...

Anyone care to explain this film? (obvious spoilers)

posted 10 years ago by dunker56
8 replies | jump to latest

I generally like Gilliam stuff. I enjoy his visuals, the steam punk/old tech doing new tech stuff is fun to watch. The sets, costumes and acting was top notch in this, and Terry fans won't be disappointed.
But I might be getting a bit think in my old age, and I don't really plan to do a second viewing, so I was wondering if anyone would break this film down a bit, perhaps fill in the dots etc.

1) is it open to individual interpretation or is does it have cohesive meaning?

2) My take on it was some kind of future earth whereby a slightly autistic/aspergers guy struggles with relationships (works better with machines) and is looking for the meaning of life. But by the very act of looking for the meaning of life he is missing the point of life, because there is no point to life (The Zero Theorem).

I welcome any and all interpretations.

[–] BorisKarpov 10 years ago

I think you already explained it pretty well. He is missing the point of life, or not living his life, by waiting for someone else to tell him (the phonecall hes waiting for) , what this purpose is. Maybe this is how terry gilliams personal life is like, hes rich but disconnected from real life, he tried to figure out the meaning of life through his movies, but never got any result. And now that he is getting old (gilliam is 73 years old now), he realizes that life itself has no meaning, all he has left is cybersex, and prostitutes. Terry gilliam wasnt too creative with this movie i guesss, its too simple ...no twists no nothing. Zero. Zero theorem.

[–] bangskat 10 years ago

This is the primary existential paradox... you will never reach 100% through intelligence or faith... these are the tools of Management. Giving up all hope is the only way to get to 100%... Knowledge will not get you there, sex will not get you there.... to have the questions of existence burning inside of you and not fill the void with answers is to be truly alive. Everything else is what keeps you from getting to 100%. Gilliam seems to be aware of this; whether you think it has been communicated effectively through his films is a matter of perspective, and might reflect your grip on the tools of Management.

Qohen was chosen for the position of proving this theorem not because of his intelligence but because of his level of dysfunction and immunity to the seductive tools management had to offer. He was approaching Zero internally. The delusion that gives our reality an identity can never be proven.. that 100% equals Zero cannot be proven.. However it's truth remains at the heart of our existence and the very effort to prove it is precisely what keeps us from it. It may very well be the last thing Management cannot own or profit from.

[–] Dejay 10 years ago

But by the very act of looking for the meaning of life he is missing the point of life, because there is no point to life

Very clever point but it's of course fallacious :) If there is no meaning in life you are free to live the live you want, and give it meaning yourself. If there is, then it's meaningful to try to find and pursue it. It's the rational thing to do.

BTW neither the nonexistence of god nor the zero theorem would mean there is no meaning in life. It would just mean that we ourselves must become (find) god and that we can create everything from nothing.

[–] dunker56 10 years ago

Well this is the bit I am confused about, because he was looking or trying to solve the Zero Theorem, which as I understood was some weird mathematical puzzle that tries to prove the 'NONexistance' of God, or rather that everything is pointless and nothing really matters, that the bubble (of the universe/bigbang) is expanding but one day will contract just it did expand and with it everything back into nothingness.
From my understanding he never actually solved this (never got 100%), and in pursuing it was missing out on life. The 'Call' i'm not sure what that's about, a call from God?

The film hasn't quite sunk in yet properly for me, I think that the time and language being used has made it more difficult for me.

FWIW, I'm personally an Atheist, I don't believe in higher powers or after life etc. But that doesn't mean I don't derive some kind of meaning from life. When you are born you have no choice about it (you're here now whether you like it or not), and you're most definitely going to die also (no choice about that either). So in the interim you might as well enjoy yourself along the way and derive some joy from this pleasant accident.
I wonder if ppl from different religious backgrounds are interpreting this movie differently? That's the part I'm trying to figure out, is this movie open to interpretation or is it fixed? If yer interpreting it in yer own way (like perhaps I am) then have you in fact not understood it properly?

[–] Dejay 10 years ago

My guess is that the movie is extremely open to interpretation. I still don't know what to make of the ending.

But personally I think a "big crunch" with another "big bang" following is far more cheerful than the "big freeze" or the "big rip". At least it means the universe won't end. And ideally the idea of "everything from nothing" means we are unlimited, that we ourselves could create another universe from nothing if this one is going to *beep*

[–] Stevo84 10 years ago

My interpretation was he discovers he led a meaningless life by waiting for his call, running away with the girl would have given his life purpose; him running away with her was in fact 'the call' or 'a call' but his pursuit of this Zero Theorem clouded his judgment, plus he felt used by her; she was just a tool of management, to de-stress him from his work(i never thought her or the boy were meant to be distractions from his work as the blurb on this films main imdb page says they were? have i got that wrong?) though she indeed fell in love with him as did he with her, but he still thought it may STILL be an act, so he didn't go with her? What do u think?

[–] Blathnat69 10 years ago

I like your theory about the girl and the kid, they never really seemed like distractions to me either, more that they were trying to get him to enjoy life more and thus work more on the theorem. This is assuming they were real in the first place (see multiple threads here).

The way I see it, the girl might have started off as a tool of Management, something to get him focussed, but things change. Sure, she starts of by using him and taking advantage of him (because no woman anywhere would ever do that), but she comes to like him, whether that's because of her issues or genuine affection.

She is his "call", in as much as she is trying to get him out and enjoy life, to give his life a purpose, which is exactly what he was waiting for.

However, it's entirely likely that he chose not to accept her into his life because he had been hurt. Not only did she lie to him, and he had to discover that she was a web-girl on his own accord (and some help), but near the end he explains that he was once married and that they got divorced.

To me that single scene was more powerful than most of the movie. This is a man who, for all intents and purposes was perfectly normal. He lived a normal life, got married etc. Then it all went to hell, and he sank into himself. He devoted his life to working, and avoided all outside contact, or pleasure of any kind.

So we're left with a broken man, who for all we know hasn't been in love since his divorce, and now the first woman he has loved in however long hurts him again.

Then again, I could be entirely wrong. It's one reason I enjoy this movie, it's so open ended.

If you aren't replying to my post, don't click "reply".

[–] TheAstor 10 years ago

I think it's a critique of faith, and the message is to accept reality, even if it's not pleasant.

Throughout the whole movie he's waiting for the call, the call that will explain the point of life and give it meaning. As Management says, he had 'faith' that the call would come and give this to him.

At the end, when he discoveres there is no point (no call), he goes on a rampage and breaks the machine, then we see all these images of people floating into a black hole (which represents the end of all things). He initially tries to resist, physically running away, then he stops and smiles, he accepts it, and willingly falls into the blackhole along with everyone else.

It's symbolic of him accepting death and that there's no point to life, and that's not such a scary thing after all.

At the end he's on a beach alone, content. In contrast, throughout most of the movie he was in a church, stressed out and fixated with trying to find the meaning to life; waiting for the call.

There are also various things throughout the movie which to me says it's a critique of faith. They advertise the religion of Batman the redeemer, the Jesus statue in Qohen's church has the head replaced with an Orwellian style camera etc.