Nothing (film)
Encyclopedia
Nothing is a 2003 Canadian
film
, directed by Vincenzo Natali
. It stars David Hewlett
and Andrew Miller
.
), an agoraphobic
travel agent who works from his home, and Dave (David Hewlett
), a loser who works in an office where he is treated with contempt. As unpleasant as their lives are, things get much worse within the span of one day: Dave is fired from his job after his girlfriend frames him for embezzlement
, Andrew is falsely accused of attempted child molestation
by a young girl extorting cookie sales, and both are informed by a city building inspector that their house is slated to be demolished by the end of the day to make way for a freeway expansion. Both of them hide away inside the house as police, city officials, and outraged neighbors surround it, clamoring for the two to come out. The two frantically look for some means of escape until suddenly and abruptly all goes quiet. Confused, Dave and Andrew open their front door and discover that the entire world beyond their house is gone, replaced with a featureless white void.
Though initially frightened about their new circumstances Dave and Andrew take the development in stride, adapting to their new-found isolation and treating it as a much needed vacation. Eventually, after a simple test reveals that the nothingness surrounding them holds a flat, featureless, and somewhat springy surface, the two set out across the empty plane in order to explore their new surroundings, leaving a trail of household items behind as a means of finding their way back. The trek stretches on for a significant distance and nearly becomes a permanent exile when, after running out of items to leave as a trail, Dave and Andrew panic and lose track of their path. Wandering leads them to what appears to be another house, but when they "sneak" up on it they discover they have simply wandered back home, much to their relief.
Panic begins to set in again when Andrew realizes that the house is completely out of food, resulting in a frantic scramble for food sources, argument, and finally depression. As the two lounge weakly in the front room, hungry, Andrew glances around the room, eventually stopping and glaring at a noisy clock on the wall; within a few seconds it disappears. Shocked, Dave and Andrew argue over what became of the clock until Andrew comes up with a theory, which he puts to the test: dropping a stack of overdue bills in front of Dave, Andrew asks him to concentrate on how much he dislikes them, and within seconds the bills abruptly disappear. The two realize that they can "hate away" things, as Dave "hated away" the bills, Andrew "hated away" the clock, and (remembering the moment before the world disappeared) they both "hated away" the entire world outside their house. Dave puts one last theory to test, concentrating hard for a moment before a look of relief washes over him: he has hated away his need for food.
Though the two are now mostly content with their situation Dave expresses some concern over Andrew's remaining phobias, questioning why the phobias still exist when there's nothing left to fear. Reluctantly, Andrew reveals that he was abused and tormented by his parents as a child. With some urging from Dave he hates away the memory of each traumatic childhood event as he recounts it; when he is finally done he is no longer phobic and much more confident in himself. Unfortunately this change alters Andrew's personality and leads to friction between the two friends, finally building into an outright confrontation. The two decide that they can no longer share the same house, and opt to determine who keeps it by playing a match of their favorite fighting game. Dave loses, and is exiled with his possessions to reside out in the nothingness.
Things become very tense with Dave's departure. Dave attempts to engage Andrew in conversation repeatedly, even performing the national anthem for his self-created nation (its borders marked by a line of his possessions), all to no avail. After several days Dave has an idea, and shortly thereafter comes into Andrew's house much happier and explains his sudden change of mood: he has hated away his anger at Andrew; all Andrew needs to do is hate away his anger at Dave and things will be back to normal. Andrew refuses, quite content to be angry at Dave. Dave hates away his anger several times as Andrew rebuffs and outright insults him, but his patience finally wears thin, leading Dave to hate away one of Andrew's possessions. Andrew retaliates by hating away one of Dave's possessions, and the situation escalates until everything including the house is hated away.
Dave walks away, assuming the argument is finished, but falls over suddenly as his feet begin to disappear; Andrew is hating them away. He turns and retaliates, hating away Andrew's legs, and the situation escalates again until all that is left of the two are their disembodied heads. Refusing to give up the fight, Andrew and Dave manage to turn themselves and (by bouncing) charge at each other, headbutting each other repeatedly until they finally stop, exhausted. Their anger abated, Dave and Andrew make up, agree to be best friends again, and set off to explore the nothingness. As they bounce away into the white void they remark how they both had always thought that their bodies were somehow holding them back.
In a post-credits scene
, an obviously older Dave and Andrew - still disembodied heads - are sleeping when they are awakened by a popping sound, followed by a loud clamoring of voices and noise. As the unseen source of the clamoring gets louder and closer the two scream, possibly meaning that their hating the world away was not permanent and things will go back to the way things were.
described Nothing as "an experimental film" and called it "the comic flipside" of his earlier Cube
. According to Natali, Cube and Nothing are the first two installments of "an informal trilogy of minimalist films," the third of which will be Echo Beach.
Natali, who considers Nothing "a story about friendship" at its core, originally envisioned Stan the turtle as the film's narrator. Due to budget constraints, however, the idea of a talking turtle could not be realized. Natali also associated Stan with a metaphorical significance: "He's a turtle because that's what David and Andrew are -- creatures who carry their home on their back and hide from the world."
In an email interview with Patrick Douglas of The Culture Shock, Natali attributed his desire to make Nothing to a fascination with the "notion of editing reality." He explained the decision to keep the leading actors' real names in the script as "Creative bankruptcy."
David Hewlett
, Andrew Miller
and Natali grew up and went to high school together. In an interview with Ian Caddell of The Georgia Straight
, Natali recalled how Hewlett and Miller had to enact many of the scenes in Nothing hanging from the ceiling on wires. But, he said, they enjoyed the abuse because they knew it could be the last opportunity the three would have to work together. In an interview with Jason Anderson of Eye Weekly
, Hewlett, describing the suspension apparatus as a 30-foot atomic wedgie, commented, "[Natali]'d hang us from the ceiling like puppets and literally place us where he wanted us." Miller spoke of similar hardships: "It was really ridiculous."
Natali credited colleague Terry Gilliam
as an influence to whom Nothing owes "a real debt."
approval rating of 50%.
Film critic Dan Schneider
called Nothing "not a bad film," but "not good either," remarking that "its essential silliness and triviality are what keep this from reaching the existential level of a good The Twilight Zone episode, or something more akin to George Lucas's THX 1138
." Schneider also criticized the soundtrack, arguing that "the film would have been much more effective if the music had suggested darker undertones." He concluded his review saying, "Nothing is one of those films that will stick with a viewer for a while, if only because it will leave scenarios open to be reworked in each viewer's mind."
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, directed by Vincenzo Natali
Vincenzo Natali
Vincenzo Natali is an American-Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for writing and directing science fiction films such as Cube, Nothing and Splice.-Early life:...
. It stars David Hewlett
David Hewlett
David Ian Hewlett is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his role as Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay on the science fiction television shows Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis.-Early life:...
and Andrew Miller
Andrew Miller (actor)
Andrew Miller is a Canadian actor, writer, and director.- Career :Miller began his career as an actor at age 16 in Toronto, Canada. Early theater roles include Moritz Stiefel in Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening and Eugene Morris Jerome in Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs...
.
Plot
The film tells the story of two good friends and housemates, Andrew (Andrew MillerAndrew Miller (actor)
Andrew Miller is a Canadian actor, writer, and director.- Career :Miller began his career as an actor at age 16 in Toronto, Canada. Early theater roles include Moritz Stiefel in Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening and Eugene Morris Jerome in Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs...
), an agoraphobic
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation from which it is perceived to be difficult to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions...
travel agent who works from his home, and Dave (David Hewlett
David Hewlett
David Ian Hewlett is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his role as Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay on the science fiction television shows Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis.-Early life:...
), a loser who works in an office where he is treated with contempt. As unpleasant as their lives are, things get much worse within the span of one day: Dave is fired from his job after his girlfriend frames him for embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
, Andrew is falsely accused of attempted child molestation
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
by a young girl extorting cookie sales, and both are informed by a city building inspector that their house is slated to be demolished by the end of the day to make way for a freeway expansion. Both of them hide away inside the house as police, city officials, and outraged neighbors surround it, clamoring for the two to come out. The two frantically look for some means of escape until suddenly and abruptly all goes quiet. Confused, Dave and Andrew open their front door and discover that the entire world beyond their house is gone, replaced with a featureless white void.
Though initially frightened about their new circumstances Dave and Andrew take the development in stride, adapting to their new-found isolation and treating it as a much needed vacation. Eventually, after a simple test reveals that the nothingness surrounding them holds a flat, featureless, and somewhat springy surface, the two set out across the empty plane in order to explore their new surroundings, leaving a trail of household items behind as a means of finding their way back. The trek stretches on for a significant distance and nearly becomes a permanent exile when, after running out of items to leave as a trail, Dave and Andrew panic and lose track of their path. Wandering leads them to what appears to be another house, but when they "sneak" up on it they discover they have simply wandered back home, much to their relief.
Panic begins to set in again when Andrew realizes that the house is completely out of food, resulting in a frantic scramble for food sources, argument, and finally depression. As the two lounge weakly in the front room, hungry, Andrew glances around the room, eventually stopping and glaring at a noisy clock on the wall; within a few seconds it disappears. Shocked, Dave and Andrew argue over what became of the clock until Andrew comes up with a theory, which he puts to the test: dropping a stack of overdue bills in front of Dave, Andrew asks him to concentrate on how much he dislikes them, and within seconds the bills abruptly disappear. The two realize that they can "hate away" things, as Dave "hated away" the bills, Andrew "hated away" the clock, and (remembering the moment before the world disappeared) they both "hated away" the entire world outside their house. Dave puts one last theory to test, concentrating hard for a moment before a look of relief washes over him: he has hated away his need for food.
Though the two are now mostly content with their situation Dave expresses some concern over Andrew's remaining phobias, questioning why the phobias still exist when there's nothing left to fear. Reluctantly, Andrew reveals that he was abused and tormented by his parents as a child. With some urging from Dave he hates away the memory of each traumatic childhood event as he recounts it; when he is finally done he is no longer phobic and much more confident in himself. Unfortunately this change alters Andrew's personality and leads to friction between the two friends, finally building into an outright confrontation. The two decide that they can no longer share the same house, and opt to determine who keeps it by playing a match of their favorite fighting game. Dave loses, and is exiled with his possessions to reside out in the nothingness.
Things become very tense with Dave's departure. Dave attempts to engage Andrew in conversation repeatedly, even performing the national anthem for his self-created nation (its borders marked by a line of his possessions), all to no avail. After several days Dave has an idea, and shortly thereafter comes into Andrew's house much happier and explains his sudden change of mood: he has hated away his anger at Andrew; all Andrew needs to do is hate away his anger at Dave and things will be back to normal. Andrew refuses, quite content to be angry at Dave. Dave hates away his anger several times as Andrew rebuffs and outright insults him, but his patience finally wears thin, leading Dave to hate away one of Andrew's possessions. Andrew retaliates by hating away one of Dave's possessions, and the situation escalates until everything including the house is hated away.
Dave walks away, assuming the argument is finished, but falls over suddenly as his feet begin to disappear; Andrew is hating them away. He turns and retaliates, hating away Andrew's legs, and the situation escalates again until all that is left of the two are their disembodied heads. Refusing to give up the fight, Andrew and Dave manage to turn themselves and (by bouncing) charge at each other, headbutting each other repeatedly until they finally stop, exhausted. Their anger abated, Dave and Andrew make up, agree to be best friends again, and set off to explore the nothingness. As they bounce away into the white void they remark how they both had always thought that their bodies were somehow holding them back.
In a post-credits scene
Post-credits scene
A post-credits scene is a short clip that appears after some or all of the closing credits of a film have run...
, an obviously older Dave and Andrew - still disembodied heads - are sleeping when they are awakened by a popping sound, followed by a loud clamoring of voices and noise. As the unseen source of the clamoring gets louder and closer the two scream, possibly meaning that their hating the world away was not permanent and things will go back to the way things were.
Cast
- David HewlettDavid HewlettDavid Ian Hewlett is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his role as Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay on the science fiction television shows Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis.-Early life:...
as Dave - Andrew MillerAndrew Miller-Sports:* Andrew Miller , pitcher for the Boston Red Sox* Andrew Miller , cricketer for Oxford University and Middlesex* Andrew Miller , Canadian professional ice hockey player...
as Andrew - Gordon PinsentGordon PinsentGordon Edward Pinsent, CC, FRSC is a Canadian television, theatre and film actor.-Early life:Pinsent, the youngest of six children, was born in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, the son of Flossie ; originally from Clifton, Newfoundland, and Stephen Arthur Pinsent, a papermill worker and cobbler;...
as Man In Suit - Marie-Josée CrozeMarie-Josée Croze-Career:Croze was born in Montreal, QC. She won the award for Best Actress at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in The Barbarian Invasions. She was cast by prominent Hollywood director Steven Spielberg for his film Munich which was released in December 2005...
as Sara - Andrew Lowery as Crawford
- Elana Shilling as Little Girl
- Soo GaraySoo GaraySoo Garay is a Canadian actress born in Toronto, Canada. She is best remembered for playing Dr. Claire Davison on the TV series Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal.-Biography:...
as Little Girl's Mother - Martin RoachMartin RoachMartin Jamie Roach is a Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles on Aaron Stone as T. Abner Hall and in the films Cube Zero, Diary of the Dead, and The Lookout.-Filmography:* Producing Parker as Dr...
as Co-worker - Angelo TsarouchasAngelo TsarouchasAngelo Tsarouchas is a Canadian comedian/actor, whose parents are originally from Greece. A large element of his stand-up comedy revolves around the parody of his Greek origins.- Life and career :...
as Foreman - Rick ParkerRick ParkerRichard Alan Parker was a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets and Houston Astros. He played from 1985-1998.-External links:...
as Mounted Police Officer - Maurice Dean WintMaurice Dean WintMaurice Dean Wint is a British-born, Canadian-based actor who has starred in several television shows and movies; the most notable ones include "Cube", "Hedwig and the Angry Inch", RoboCop: Prime Directives, Psi Factor and the TekWar movies and television series.Wint moved to Canada in 1969 with...
as Narrator - Bobby the Turtle as Stan
Production notes
In an interview with Troy Riser of The Trades, director Vincenzo NataliVincenzo Natali
Vincenzo Natali is an American-Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for writing and directing science fiction films such as Cube, Nothing and Splice.-Early life:...
described Nothing as "an experimental film" and called it "the comic flipside" of his earlier Cube
Cube (film)
Cube is a 1997 Canadian science fiction psychological thriller/horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali. The film was a successful product of the Canadian Film Centre's First Feature Project....
. According to Natali, Cube and Nothing are the first two installments of "an informal trilogy of minimalist films," the third of which will be Echo Beach.
Natali, who considers Nothing "a story about friendship" at its core, originally envisioned Stan the turtle as the film's narrator. Due to budget constraints, however, the idea of a talking turtle could not be realized. Natali also associated Stan with a metaphorical significance: "He's a turtle because that's what David and Andrew are -- creatures who carry their home on their back and hide from the world."
In an email interview with Patrick Douglas of The Culture Shock, Natali attributed his desire to make Nothing to a fascination with the "notion of editing reality." He explained the decision to keep the leading actors' real names in the script as "Creative bankruptcy."
David Hewlett
David Hewlett
David Ian Hewlett is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his role as Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay on the science fiction television shows Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis.-Early life:...
, Andrew Miller
Andrew Miller (actor)
Andrew Miller is a Canadian actor, writer, and director.- Career :Miller began his career as an actor at age 16 in Toronto, Canada. Early theater roles include Moritz Stiefel in Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening and Eugene Morris Jerome in Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs...
and Natali grew up and went to high school together. In an interview with Ian Caddell of The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by the Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp...
, Natali recalled how Hewlett and Miller had to enact many of the scenes in Nothing hanging from the ceiling on wires. But, he said, they enjoyed the abuse because they knew it could be the last opportunity the three would have to work together. In an interview with Jason Anderson of Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The following week, Torstar launched a successor publication, The Grid.-...
, Hewlett, describing the suspension apparatus as a 30-foot atomic wedgie, commented, "[Natali]'d hang us from the ceiling like puppets and literally place us where he wanted us." Miller spoke of similar hardships: "It was really ridiculous."
Natali credited colleague Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
as an influence to whom Nothing owes "a real debt."
Reception
Nothing received mixed reviews, currently earning a Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
approval rating of 50%.
Film critic Dan Schneider
Dan Schneider
Dan Schneider may refer to:* Dan Schneider , American actor and television producer* Dan Schneider , American poet, writer, and film critic* Dan Schneider , former American baseball player...
called Nothing "not a bad film," but "not good either," remarking that "its essential silliness and triviality are what keep this from reaching the existential level of a good The Twilight Zone episode, or something more akin to George Lucas's THX 1138
THX 1138
THX 1138 is a 1971 science fiction film directed by George Lucas in his directorial debut. The film is based on a screenplay by Lucas and Walter Murch...
." Schneider also criticized the soundtrack, arguing that "the film would have been much more effective if the music had suggested darker undertones." He concluded his review saying, "Nothing is one of those films that will stick with a viewer for a while, if only because it will leave scenarios open to be reworked in each viewer's mind."