Yep, it’s true. Despite being in post-production and unlikely to premiere until the end of the year, we have the first look at Terry Gilliam’s upcoming dystopian craziness, entitled The Zero Theorem.
The clips might be watermarked as ‘not for distribution,’ but for right now at least they are not protected against the depredations of film bloggers. Not that this is going to damage The Zero Theorem in any way, shape or form. It looks as amazing and crazed as we might expect from the director of 12 Monkeys and Brazil.
Christoph Waltz plays Qohen Leth, a computer genius living in a dystopian world run by a shadowy Big Brother figure known only as Management (Matt Damon). Qohen is trying to solve the Zero Theorem, a mathematical formula designed to explain the meaning of life. But he’s constantly interrupted, by a gorgeous young woman (Melanie Thierry), Management’s son Bob (Lucas Hedges) and his own increasingly bizarre fantasy world.
The early trailer doesn’t give us much in the way of plot, but it does give us a very palpable look at what Gilliam is up to. The Zero Theorem looks much like Brazil-redux, with some very recognizable camerawork. We get glimpses of David Thewlis and Tilda Swinton, and Waltz’s very weird characterization of our hero. The accompanying clips are likewise great tasters for what’s to come.
Terry Gilliam usually either succeeds on every level, or fails utterly. His ideas are certainly never small, and The Zero Theorem is as ambitious a film as we could hope for from that amusingly twisted mind. I for one have great hopes that this will wind up in the great Gilliam category, and not in the netherworld of Tideland.
You can check out the trailer and clips via this link (before they are taken down) and let us know what you think about The Zero Theorem in the comments below.