Ecclesiastes at the Movies

Recently my wife and I watched the movie "The Zero Theorem," a futuristic, science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam of "Brazil" and "12 Monkeys" fame.  The movie centers on the life of Qohen Leth, a reclusive computer genius, who works for a large technology company called Mancom. In his spare time Qohen awaits a phone call that he believes will answer his questions and bring him happiness and rest.   Management who is played by Matt Damon, has assigned Qohen Leth  a formula called the zero theorem which would essentially prove that the destiny of the universe is to continually slow down until it dissipates into nothingness proving that life, the universe, and everything is meaningless.

While watching the movie I began to be struck by some of the parallels to Ecclesiastes.  The Preacher wants to discover what profit a man gains by all the toil which he toils under the sun.  In a similar way "The Zero Theorem" is asking the same question.  Qohen Leth thinks he will find the answer to the meaning of life from a telephone call.  Management thinks the zero theorem will prove there is no ultimate meaning since the destiny of the universe is death and decay. Since I have been studying the book of Ecclesiastes heavily for the last year, I am used to seeing parallels with Ecclesiastes everywhere.  However, I realized about halfway through the movie that the connections were intentional since the name Qohen Leth is actually similar to the word Qoheleth which is the Hebrew title of the book of Ecclesiastes.  I pointed this out to my wife, who said she figured that out about 5 minutes into the movie and assumed that was why we were watching it.  Turns out I am slow.

So I thought it be would fun to share some thoughts about the movie without giving away too many spoilers and also where I think it was correct in its view of Ecclesiastes and where the movie was lacking.  First, the movie seems to accept the premise that the point of Ecclesiastes is that life is meaningless.  This is a fairly common view of Ecclesiastes and is a result of how you translate the key Hebrew hebel.  Many translations use emptiness or even meaningless to translate hebel.  So it is understandable that many readers of Ecclesiastes leave with the view that the Preacher in Ecclesiastes is essentially proclaiming that life is meaningless.

I have argued that meaningless is not the best translation.  In my sermon on Ecclesiastes 1:2,  I argued for the word hebel encompassing a wide range of meanings include transient, enigmatic, frustration, and futility.  The Preacher uses the picture of a shepherd trying to herd the wind.  It is not that there is no wind, only that it is impossible to control it.

Second, Qohen Leth's search for meaning leads him to become a recluse and an aesthetic, living in an abandoned church and shutting himself off from the world and from any form of pleasure.  The idea is that belief in something higher and transcendent actually separates the believer from this world. Interestingly, this is the opposite conclusion reached by the Preacher in Ecclesiastes.  The Preacher continually praises the joy found in food, drink, work, and love.  Furthermore, the Preacher commends joy in all these activities precisely because they are a gift from the transcendent God.

Third, if you will recall in Ecclesiastes, the Preacher sees no hope for an answer to his question of meaning under the sun.  When the Preacher observes nature he sees continual cycles leading to no ultimate destination.  In some ways this is similar to the implication of the zero theorem.  Without giving away too many spoilers, Qohen Leth's solution during his confrontation with Management is a decidedly not under the sun kind of solution.  So on this point, I think the movie and Ecclesiastes are in accord.

The interpretation of Qohen Leth's solution is ambiguous though.  For us, Christ's death and resurrection is the not under the sun solution the Preacher is looking for in Ecclesiastes and is not at all ambiguous.   As Paul puts it, either the resurrection is real or we are to be pitied above all people.

I will warn you the Zero Theorem is a weird movie.  It is more a thought experiment than a coherent narrative.  I would not necessarily commend it, but I think it is thought provoking.  However, if you do decided to give it a try, I would love to discuss it with you and here your thoughts.