A lot of Oscar prognosticators and fans have contemplated the idea of director Terry Gilliam‘s The Zero Theorum having a shot at this year’s Oscars, but given Gilliam’s recent history I’m hesitant to add it to the ranks. It’s not as if The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Tideland or The Brothers Grimm were burning up the Oscar charts during their given years of release.
There is early talk, however, that Zero Theorum may appear at the Venice Film Festival and if that’s the case I wouldn’t put it past Voltage also bringing it to Toronto as it is still without a domestic distributor and with names such as Christoph Waltz, David Thewlis, Melanie Thierry, Matt Damon, Ben Whishaw, Peter Stormare and Tilda Swinton attached to the project it isn’t as if it won’t draw a fair amount of attention.
The story centers on Qohen Leth (Waltz), an eccentric and reclusive computer genius plagued with existential angst works on a mysterious project aimed at discovering the purpose of existence — or the lack thereof — once and for all. However, it is only once he experiences the power of love and desire that he is able to understand his very reason for being.
Today a sales trailer and twelve minutes worth of footage have come online, which you can watch directly below. Give it a look and let me know what you think.
