Zenith

I have been so fascinated by this film that I have taken the time to register on imdb only in order to recommend it. I wouldn't go so far to call this a "review."

I'm a middle-aged professor and a fan of surrealism, who discovered Zenith upon the recommendation of one of my students, who wrote a paper on it, when we were discussing conspiracy theories -fact, fiction, deliberate manipulation and interpretation- in relation to psychology, as well as culture and society at large.

I truly enjoyed this film. I had to watch it twice to pick up on all its references and themes, since there are so many here, from the obvious, like the MIlgram experiment, over the lesser known, like Aleister Crowley or Edward Bernays, to some obscure surrealist literary and cinematic quotes, which I won't reveal, as they would spoil some of the fun of discovering this film for yourself. Zenith is like an onion, where each layer that peels off will reveal something new. It deconstructs language, the genre, even the process of filmmaking, with the fast-forward/rewinds, cut-tos, etc. It's playful and irreverent, mixing the fake and the real, the truth with lies, and the comic with the tragic.

You, the viewer, have to interpret the full meaning of the narrative. This intent is obvious, and not only because of the ending. It's difficult to go more in depth here without revealing too much. The storytelling method is surrealist -think David Lynch, Bunuel or Jodorowsky. Nothing is what it seems and everything has a double meaning. There is no reassuring closure in the end, no key to find one right answer for everyone, but that's what makes it so interesting.

To me, this is a memorable film, well worth the effort. If you enjoy complex and ambiguous narratives, you will enjoy this multi-layered film. Now, let me watch it a third time and see what I have missed.

This is the sort of analogies, the new metaphors, the "world has already ended, and we're just catching up with it" William Gibson-esque view of things we need to sort things out. If you haven't heard Nine Inch Nails' "Year Zero" and have never picked up "Adbusters," you might be surprised that people have been directing cultural impulses to address the situation (set(s)) we find ourselves in -- but then, you might be awed by the "complexity" of Marvel and think that vague passing references to overpopulation and toxic overfill qualify as addressing the capitalistic addition we've all been raised in. Forget that.

There is so much to unpack in this film. I saw it a decade ago and followed some of its meta-narratives online when it came out. I saw it again now. It's bewildering to think how much the context is the same but also different from ten years ago - from Anonymous to conspiracy theories to the pharmaceutical references and everything else- reality is truly stranger than fiction. I'll leave it at that, so as not to spoil the fun of discovering this unique film. Zenith is even more timely now than when it was initially released. Lots of comparisons to dystopian films and books have been made, but I would say James Graham Ballard is the most apt one. This film is a wild ride for free souls and open minds. If you take it literally and think that it doesn't make sense that people would take medication to feel pain, or that Jack's inner monologue is not a tongue-in-cheek literary reference, or trust his father to tell you the truth about that famous psychological experiment and consider the ending to be a cop out, you are missing the point. It's like saying why doesn't Godot show up in Waiting for Godot. Duh.

A risky genre-bender that brings the story's central question back in the end to the viewer to answer, it's a rare film that dares this somersault. What do I mean? Commercial narrative movies mostly plot a storyline that ultimately plays to the expectation to entertain. Rarely does a film slap us in the end to wake up out of the trance of watching a movie and re-think what we've seen. Like the Schrodinger cat experiment, we'll only know the answer if we open the box, but the film only leads us to the box. Sometimes that's a gimmick, but given the subject matter, here it's a clever device to get us to rethink everything and reconsider the crucial question of the story. Of course it will alienate many viewers who will watch it because of the "thriller" and "sci-fi" taglines, since it uses the genre formulas only as disguise. Cinematically, it's well done, playing around with standard movie tropes and conventions and crossing some lines but not going overboard. It's a shame Peter Scanavino settled for Law and Order. Based on this performance he could've done much more. Jason Robards III is eerily reminiscent of his late father and David Thornton is brilliant. Why aren't they more present in mainstream movies? Bottom line, recommended if you're up for a subversive cinematic experiment in form and content.

An exciting stand-up triple that falls frustrating short of a home run. Wonderfully original and thought-provoking story covering the dystopian topics of power structures without rule-of-law, genetic manipulation on a mass scale, mind chemical crutches, and the erosion of scholasticism. Acting, sets, and cinematography all done well, which is impressive given the film's 12 dollar and 50 cents budget. Unfortunately, many story elements get tossed in without backdrop or development (how did everyone get genetically altered as soon as 2044, especially in a world lacking the organizational framework of governments?). It feels like the too-condensed movie version of a epic-length cerebral sci-fi book series, like Herbert's Dune or Card's Ender, but sadly, no such luck. Nevertheless, Zenith is brain candy worth chewing on over and over.