A Review of Terry GIlliam's "The Zero Theorem"

“When you're born, you look like your family. When you die, you look like your choices.”

-Christian Cage AEW Dynamite

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You walk into a shaded arena, on the lam from an overwhelming sense of alienation, [manner born], 360° vantage points, surrounded by AI-generated simulations of black bears: it's better to have bug repellant instead of mace spray. Best case scenario? You leave the forest with a developed ability to dull the pain receptors of your brain during moments of trauma/duress. I’m primarily operating on impulse, so bear with me while coming up with an alternate strategy… 

Every inch of this 480 sq/ft. space makes me feel preyed upon, like I’m living near the Great Barrier Reef in Melbourne. I was bit on the knee by my neighbor’s corgi on 6/8/26, only to find myself standing beneath a honeysuckle tree waiting for the #10 with bees in my eyes and paying no mind. I was conspiring with known criminals that ransacked the parietal lobe and left me tripping on questions I had for a band that I’d only recently heard of:

What do you guys think of mtv’s death? 

I think of you as a throwback to bands like:
Amyl and the Snifters
The Bags
Sonic Youth,
with the stage presence of someone like the NY Dolls?

What do you guys think about the former Seattle scene, surf rock, the Misfits? 

I really dig your use of overlapping vocals. Can you tell me more about the timeline of the band’s formation?

I've been tripping over nothing a lot lately, wetworks and fresh sheets, dead Magic Chefs, the death of MTV and how the logo was dripping from the dingy shirt of a budtender who was a dick while selling me Shirley Temple gummies earlier; unresolved billing issues, secondary suspicions. I'm taking what could be property maintenance as personal attacks against the hardwood floor beneath my feet. My body, subsequently my mind, has become a prison for my spirit, my sense of purpose.

When I get like this, I look for something to watch, take me out of my headspace, help me to ignore that even Misha is suffering from intermittent episodes of depression. Try as I’d like, I can’t blame it all on the Keppra or lack/loss of opportunities. My point of reference for meaning is skewed and based on the subconscious interpretations of a man that can no longer feel the edge of his palms.

On 6/22/26, trying to forget the perils that ever stretched before me, I found The Zero Theorem again. I’ve tried to watch it several times and somehow, even though fascinated, I always fall asleep before the ending of the film.

There's only one person I know who understands the intentions of Terry Gilliam, famous for his adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 12 Monkeys, Brazil, etc.