This is a cult movie with a message, not written for money or for cheap visual entertainment. It examines human purpose and how we look for the answers to our very existence. A theme often found in Gilliam's movies but one that can only be addressed directly once you have already achieved credibility and fame as a Director and here it is. The main character "Qohen Leth" teeters on the brink of the Abyss both spiritually and physically. A mathematical genius given the task of proving the "zero theorem", to prove the futility of life. Ironically everyone who has previously tried has failed or been driven insane by the task. Qohen already half way to insane has been awaiting a phone call from God, a call in which his purpose and the meaning of life will be revealed. During the movie Qohen realises his delusions yet still persists in trying to prove the Zero Theorem, all the while pushing away all human contact and any possibility of having a worthwhile life. Gilliam's point is this; there are no definitive answers to our purpose, life is for living. The very act of trying to prove the point of existence is a waste of a persons existence. Qohen Leth's tragic tale is the epitome of this message.
Review of The Zero Theorem
