Appearance
The Zero Theorem
Directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Christoph Waltz, The Zero Theorem (2013) is a dystopian science fiction film set in a cluttered, chaotic near-future city. Waltz plays Qohen Leth, a jittery number-cruncher obsessed with waiting for a phone call he believes will reveal the purpose of his existence, who is assigned to prove the nihilistic "Zero Theorem" — that everything adds up to nothing. The film continues Gilliam's signature vision of a future that is oppressive, absurd, and overwhelmingly bureaucratic.
Shot in Bucharest, Romania, Gilliam built his dystopian world on top of the remnants of Communist-era architecture, layering anachronistic technology and garish production design over the city's decaying grandeur.
Location(s)
The Zero Theorem was filmed primarily in Bucharest, Romania, where Gilliam used the city's distinctive Communist-era buildings and its ornate pre-war architecture to construct his vision of a patchwork, make-do future.
Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneul Român), Strada Benjamin Franklin 1-3, Bucharest
The 'Mancom' facility — the vast, oppressive workplace where Qohen number-crunches under constant supervision — was constructed inside the grand foyer of Bucharest's Romanian Athenaeum, the city's premier concert hall on Strada Benjamin Franklin. The hall's ornate interior provided an incongruously beautiful setting for Leth's miserable daily grind. Map Location
41 Strada Grigore Cobălcescu, Bucharest
The exterior of Qohen's home — a crumbling, fire-damaged chapel — is at 41 Strada Grigore Cobălcescu, northwest of Bucharest's city center. The interior, remarkably, was not a real deconsecrated church but a massive studio set designed by David Warren and built at MediaPro Studios. Map Location
ICPE Technology Park, Bucharest
The disturbing medical facility where Qohen undergoes a disability examination is a vast electrical testing center at ICPE, a technology park in Bucharest. The enormous real machines housed there provided the brutal, industrial aesthetic Gilliam was seeking. Map Location
Carol Park (Parcul Carol), Bucharest
The joyless urban park where Qohen is taken for a day out by his assistant Bob is the foot of the Carol Park Mausoleum in Bucharest's Parcul Carol, a monumental Communist-era structure that lends the scene its oppressive, anti-pastoral character. Map Location
MediaPro Studios, Buftea
Interior sets — including the full reconstruction of Qohen's home — were built and shot at the MediaPro Studios facility in Buftea, approximately 20 miles outside Bucharest. Map Location
Director
Terry Gilliam
Cast
Christoph Waltz
Mélanie Thierry
David Thewlis
Lucas Hedges
Matt Damon
IMDB
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