David and Andrew hate the world, and why shouldn’t they? Andrew has a phobia that prevents him from going outside. Ironically, he works as a travel agent online. David is always being picked on at work, and he discovers that his girlfriend of two months just used him to embezzle nearly 28,000 dollars. To top it all off, they live in between two freeways in a house that looks like a Tim Burton creation. In a moment of fear and anger, with police banging on their door and their own conflicts boiled beyond containment, Andrew and David close their eyes and reopen them to…nothing. The outside world vanishes, leaving behind only their house and an empty white void that stretches forever. The nothing does have a bouncy like surface, though, allowing them the ability to at least go outside into…whatever it is. As they struggle to survive they realize they are responsible for the world disappearing. They have the power to “hate it away,” and they can still hate away anything that bothers them. What follows is a comedic metamorphosis as they erase past memories and embrace emotions they always denied themselves. Let’s just hope they don’t lose their heads.
From the maker of Cube comes Nothing, a strange, twisted comedy about two lovable losers. Nothing actually has quite a bit in common with its cult classic sibling. It has a small cast of characters, really only two for the entire film. It puts those characters in a strange environment that is both claustrophobic and seemingly endless at the same time. It toys with the concept of memory and how important memory is in the formation of an individual’s personality. And it continues to increase the pressure until the characters are driven to extreme choices. The difference between the films, though, is that Nothing choices humor, even farce, over the horror of Cube.
Hewlett and Miller have great chemistry together on camera. I’ve been a big fan of Hewlett’s for awhile now because of his work on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. Miller was in Cube and played an autistic person with brilliant believability. They each bring an assortment of quirks and idiosyncrasies, and they never stop surprising the viewer as they unload their strange yet lovable arsenals.
I don’t want to say too much about the conclusion of Nothing, but I can say it is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. I got stuck between laughter and agape astonishment, but when the credits began to role I burst in manic glee. Oh, and make sure you watch the film to the very end of the credits. There’s a little surprise back there for those whom have the patience.<
Nothing is a comedic fantasy for those who love unique films. It doesn’t try to be “Hollywood” at all, and it thrives within its uniqueness. Vincenzo Natali has now become one of my favorite filmmakers. I don’t always know what he’s going to give me, but I know it will be original, challenging, and full of fun.
