Die Theorie von Allem

The Universal Theory is a brooding and cerebral tale, blending mystery, science fiction, noir, and mad love. While it may disappoint genre fans seeking a pure science fiction experience, it excels as a haunting meditation on identity and desire. Rather than exploring scientific concepts in depth, it uses the aesthetic of science fiction to evoke pensive moods and profound existential questions. Though one of many recent multiverse movies, The Universal Theory stands apart, offering a unique and deeply emotional take on the concept.

Cultural touchpoints abound in reviews of the film, and rightfully so. Hitchcock, Truffaut, Lynch, Carol Reed, Dürrenmatt, and Maya Deren have all been referenced, and these comparisons feel apt. More surgically, I'd add Dead Mountaineer's Hotel (Grigori Kromanov's 1979 film and the 1970 novel by the Strugatsky Brothers) and Julien Duvivier's L'affaire Maurizius (1954). Dead Mountaineer's Hotel, another alpine-set sci-fi noir, seems like the film's clearest ancestor, while the paranoia, investigation, and shadows of Swiss-set L'affaire Maurizius resonate here too. And yet, for all its influences, The Universal Theory feels startlingly original, much like Alien-a film that, despite being a swag bag of looted stories and motifs, became its own iconic entity.

The story takes place in the 1950s, when a mysterious physics conference is arranged at a remote, snow-set Swiss hotel. Physics Professor Dr. Stratten and his doctoral student Johannes Leinert travel there, to find out more about the conference. However, the scientific gathering quickly fades into the background as strange occurrences and the enigmatic Karin capture Johannes' attention. Karin, with her jazz-inflected rendition of Couperin's Les Barricades Mystérieuses, embodies the film's central mystery: beautiful and endlessly elusive.

The Universal Theory uses its science fiction framework not for scientific exploration but to probe the fragility of human existence. There is a pervasive sense that something is slightly "off" about reality. A brilliant career reduced to mediocrity by an inexplicable obstacle. Profound declarations of love rebuffed by those we believed were our soulmates. Sliding-doors moments subtly alter the trajectories of lives: in one reality, a professor has ties to the Soviets; in another, he leans west. These questions linger: Could we be anyone? Are our identities largely circumstantial?

This is not a film for those who need clear answers or a neatly tied narrative. Like Couperin's piece, The Universal Theory is intricate and ambiguous, inviting viewers to reflect rather than resolve. Its particular cocktail of genres is niche, and its appeal may not be universal-as evidenced by the bemused silence of my fellow audience members as the credits rolled. Yet, I found myself deeply moved, clapping alone, the film's strange, shadowed beauty resonating long after the lights came back on.

The Universal Theory is a niche masterpiece of strangeness, shadows, and love-sickness. For those willing to embrace its haunting mystery, it offers an unforgettable cinematic experience.

I loved this film. Beautifully shot in the Austrian Alps, with an ingenious script, excellent cast and absolutely superb score, the plot (taking place during a physicists' conference in Switzerland in 1962) plays with ideas about metaverses or alternative realities. The dominant, expressionist score (occasionally quoting Bernard Hermann's from Vertigo) reminds us that we are in a world of film, not reality. On the other hand, the opening scene tells us that the narrative is of real and not fictional events. This play on realities becomes overt towards the end, when we witness a 'film within a film'. A film has been made of the book on which our film is based - and it has changed key events in the story! This is a multi-layered film that intrigues without being confusing, delights and entertains while presenting profound ideas, and will live with you long after the closing credits have ended.

I was carried away with the impression that the film would be special, but although it is special, it is not unique. Why? Well, it has a mix of many styles. As I see now, some in here wrote in their reviews the same thing I think about this movie, that it is a mixture of some Hitchcock and Lynch style of story making and filming. The main factor of the story is the mystery. It starts you hoping to meet the unexpected, but then you come to a corner of boring and slow rhythm, when you lose that hope you had at the beginning. Nevertheless, the movie is not bad, but it could be better in some parts, like in those scenes in the snow where some facts are missing. I guess the author is a fan of quantum physics, astronomy and relativity and I appreciate that. :)

Positive: Beautiful black and withe cinematography, mixing 50's -60's edition. Comparable to some Hollywood classics. The music also feeds the atmosphere with this noirish style.

Negative: The storytelling. From the first scene, the director gives away the ending. The viewer knows the conclusion, and not only because it's a well explored subject in recent times, but because the main character say it. There are also characters that are totally irrelevant to the story. The director decides to smash the relationship between the 2 "main characters", to then explore the final days of the protagonist, which is also irrelevant, because we know it from the beginning.

A good idea, poorly written/directed.

It's actually a pity, the initial idea is quite appealing and the title and the advertising strategy have aroused great expectations. However, the film gets lost in a long series of quotes, stylistic devices and plot patterns, which were borrowed or copied from the works of famous directors. Thus, despite many mysteries and twists, the story becomes more and more predictable, and thus more disappointing. Unfortunately, the film completely lacks its own cinematic language, which would be necessary to remember the film as an independent work. As it is, however, it remains only as a thoroughly successful homage to Aldrich, Polanski, Lynch, Hitchcock, Truffaut, and, and, ... in memory.

The film is most convincing in its image composition, the black and white photography is beautiful, followed by the excellent actors. What the film would certainly have scored with is almost not used at all: quantum mechanics is only briefly mentioned, and the main character's groundbreaking theory is never explained, although it seems to be the key to the story. Instead, the emphasis is entirely on confusing the emotions, leaving many interesting possibilities for interpretation. The story never builds up to the great mystery that the title implies and becomes more and more annoying and shallow towards the end. What remains is a visually splendidly made film that is strangely conservative in the end.