Festival Predictions

2013 Cannes Film Festival Predictions: Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem

Published on April 3, 2013

#76. Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem

Gist: A reclusive computer genius named Qohen Leth (Christoph Waltz) spends his time searching for the titular theorem, which will reveal whether or not life has a purpose. However, since this is set in a dystopian universe, Management (Matt Damon) continually tries to thwart Leth’s damaging search, sometimes by hurtling him with distraction. Tilda Swinton, David Thewlis, and Ben Whishaw also star.

Prediction: While Gilliam has been selected in the Main Competition before (for 1998’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), we’re thinking this would premiere Out of Competition, though it certainly sounds like a return to the exciting work Gilliam produced in the 80s and 90s and sports one of the year’s most exciting ensemble casts. Still filming back in November, described as something like Philip K. Dick on steroids, excitingly this is one of the few long gestating Gilliam projects that actually got off the ground.

Related Topics:2013 Cannes Film Festival, Terry Gilliam, The Zero Theorem

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.