Gilliam’s futuristic film debuts in Venice

Monty Python star Terry Gilliam probes the meaning of life in "The Zero Theorem", premiering in Venice Monday, bringing love and laughs to a tale of solitude in a chaotic, futuristic world.Actor Christoph Waltz, best known for his roles in Quentin Tarantino films "Inglourious Basterds" and "Django Unchained", plays a tormented computer genius in a society of excess where a master corporation controls all.

From his safe haven in an abandoned church, Leth Qohen is forced to venture into a nightmarish world of streets bombarded with advertising to go to work in a cubicle, where he crunches numbers for the “master”, played by Matt Damon.

When he is put on a special project to crack the Zero Theorem which will reveal how and when all existence will end, Qohen totters on the brink of insanity until playful blonde Bainsley turns up out of nowhere to distract him.

Plugging themselves into computer mainframes to escape into fantasy worlds, Qohen and Bainsley -- played by French actress Melanie Thierry -- seem to have broken free, before the film descends into a battle for control and self-will.

The question I asked myself was, do we have real relationships any more, or only virtual relationships?” Gilliam told journalists in Venice.

I find it interesting that people hide behind false names online. Adverts tell people they have to be gods and goddesses, and because they cannot live up to the ideal, they are forced to communicate secretly. It worries me,” he said.