Movie Tasting: Terry Gilliam's THE ZERO THEOREM

Paired with Mosul "Kabinett" Riesling and Brouilly Beaujolais

Every director gets exactly one far-future dystopian satire of modern culture, where the film actually has an impact. They can go back to the trough, but unless they're wildly successful at making movies that no one would ever guess are from the same person, it's going to come across as a revisit and rehash of the previous work, regardless of either film's standalone merits.

Terry Gilliam, both fortunately and mostly unfortunately in this instance, is an auteur. There is no hiding his stamp on every line, every image, every set design, prop piece, lighting choice, and thematic *ahem*zeroing in that makes up THE ZERO THEOREM. And Gilliam has done virtually everything that this movie does once before, in his 1985 film BRAZIL.

Though there is some reversaling (now a word!) between the two: in Brazil, our hero was an everyman who went mad trying to free himself from the insanity of far-future bureaucracy; in Theorem, he's a delusional idiot savant who reclaims his sanity by dismantling the hero's journey narrative that is offered to him. In Brazil, love for a woman is a key motivator; in Theorem, love for a woman could have been our hero’s salvation, but his inability to trust or believe in a concrete form of happiness impels him to reject this notion. In Brazil, Robert DeNiro plays an older, wiser, blue collar, plain-speaking maverick who is everything the protagonist wishes he was; in Theorem, this maverick is a young teen who is the son to the owner of the film's megacorporation, ManCom, and he's a sickly, unworldly sort who nevertheless, somehow, contains the wisdom needed for our protagonist to find his way.

But the overall aesthetic of both Brazil and Zero Theorem are painfully similar. Every scene is reminiscent of another, better Gillam film - Time Bandits, Baron Munchausen, 12 Monkeys, Fisher King, hell even Jabberwocky! The first 30 minutes feel like a bizarre remake of Brazil itself, though the film does find its own voice - up to a point - eventually, though never entirely frees itself from the shadow of its predecessor.

This will be all it takes to turn off most viewers. But for me, I found much to enjoy in this film taken on its own terms.

The performances are all top notch. Mélanie Thierry as the female love interest steals the whole show - she plays the roles of cipher, then player, then heartbroken lover with fluid ease (and in truth, her character was the actual Jonathan Pryce character of this movie, we just don't follow her POV.) Lucas Hedges as this film's teenage Robert DeNiro character, the teen "Bob", delivers Gilliam's dialogue in a surprisingly organic way, similar to how DeNiro was able to do it in Brazil. Hedges has excellent comedic timing and feels like a real "rebellious teen" who nevertheless is tethered to the megacorporation and his dad who runs it in ways he cannot escape. Christolph Waltz is, well, Christolph Waltz. He's good, because he always is, but it's the supporting cast that really brings this one home.

Oh, the story? Not really important. Honestly. Something about a theory of nothing and weird computer games that somehow solve scientific theorems but whateves. There are some fun visualizations that come from it, and thematically it does play into the resolution, but this is a character journey, and a story in that sense. But the "plot" of the film is mostly beside the point. (Yes, it's beside, not "besides".)

The ending of Zero Theorem is the best part. It's once again a revisit, but also I would argue an update to Gilliam's OG ending for Brazil.

*SPOILERS BEGIN HERE* In that previous film, we learn that the entire finale was a delusional, happy dream pumped into the protagonist's brain while he was (and still is) strapped to a machine and fully jailed and controlled by the authorities. In Theorem, our protagonist CHOOSES to enter a similar computer-generated dream, but this time to escape the ratrace of the modern human world when no other version of escape seemed possible. The switch from unknowing captive to freely choosing a false-world exile simply because it DOES make him happier, is telling. *SPOILERS END HERE*

Gilliam, as a creator, has gone from wanting to fight the system while feeling trapped by its pointless complexities, to wanting nothing to do with it. He no longer wishes to fight; he no longer has faith in the triumph of art or substance over corporate interests and greed. Now, he just wants to escape. And now he finds a certain dignity in that choice.

P.S. Can I also say how dystopianly on point the "AT&T Business Network" ads that played intermittently while watching this on the Roku channel were?

Paired With…

ZERO THEOREM contains all the usual Terry Gilliam playfulness we’ve come to expect. Though it also vies for weighty themes, to various degrees of success, but said heavy themes are unquestionably THERE.

So I would pair with a serious wine that contains a hint of sweetness.

For a white, I would look to a Mosul “Kabinett” Riesling (which are often not quite fully dry, but just shy of being off-dry, so somewhere in-between.) You can read more about Riesling sweetness lingo here.

Riesling is light bodied but high in acidity with a very complex flavor and aroma profile. With a slight sweetness added, a sense of “body” can be aded to the wine, which I think best fits a film like Zero Theorem - not too light, not too heavy. Reisling flavors can range from lemon to apple to stonefruit with a sharp minerality and sometimes even a hint of petrol on the nose.

For a red, I would look toward Brouilly Beaujolais. Brouilly is premiere crus for Beaujolais (alongside Cote du Brouilly - the French like to keep things simple, eh?) Beaujolais is a medium-bodied red with exceptional acidity, flavors of sour cherry, red currant, and fall spices such as cardamom, clove, and nutmeg. It’s made entirely from the Gamay grape, and is best with at least a slight chill on it.

I was able to sip a 2021 Chateau Thivin Brouilly Reverdon Brouilly Beaujolais while watching Zero Theorem, and it was perfect. Not too heavy, not too light (shockingly dark in color for a Gamay!) Excellent balance of fresh, sour, and spicy notes.

$25 - $35, currently $28 at wineaccess.com (click the link above)