THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
(Everything Included)
Written and directed by
Temistocles Lopez
Synopsis:
Peter Buffet, an American Multimedia Media Mogul, has come to Paris on a very important business trip, which involves shady deals with international "banksters". He has brought Angela, his sexy trophy wife, and Zak, his 21-year-old son, creator of the « Paraglasses » , which allow the viewer to peek into « parallel universes » .
Peter and his family have been invited by Hubert de Bourboulon to a weekend during which Hubert intends to introduce the Media giant to some of the people that control the destiny of the world. Zak intends to use the « paraglasses » as the main tool to expose the global conspiracy hatching behind electronically controlled walls.
The Americans arrive at the exquisitely modernized old manor where the movers and shakers of a precarious world disorder have been reassembled.
First to catch Zak’s attention is Cassandra, Hubert’s third wife, a stunning beauty in haute couture. Like most guests at the party, beneath the veneer of formality lurks an enigmatic soul. Zak is stricken by Cassandra’s charisma, but when Lea makes her entrance, he is also smitten by the a sexy actress with a cutting wit.
But Lea is dating Rex, the new French star craving International recognition, and the boy realizes he has little hope for getting close to the girl.
Knowing that Zak is there for a purpose, Cassandra tells Zak that she is interested in offering him a job in a special operation that requires his cybernetic gifts.
Zak wonders if he can trust the irresistible Cassandra, a woman with a checkered past who seems to know too much about him. She is, after all, married to Hubert with whom she may have been involved in the conspiracy that Zak is trying to expose.
Zak knows that in this house of mirrors all their actions are recorded. He happens to be the head of « The Theater of Cosmic Interference », a secret group of hacktivists bent on uncovering all corrupt systems, and has been preparing for this occasion for months.
When Hubert raises his champagne glass in a celebratory toast, a sudden blinding sparkle, accompanied by a frightening drone, turn the house into a Babel tower, echoing multi- language shouts, curses and cries.
When the guests realize that all exits have been locked by an unknown force, the panic increases. The guests express different theories about the nature of the mysterious event and its consequences. As the gravity of the situation sinks in, the tragic and the comic; the sublime and the ridiculous, are inevitably entwined.
Most notable is the rebellion of the servants, who point out the injustice of the social order and offer their eccentric alternatives to make a better world.
Wanting to exacerbate the confusion, the quietly mischievous Zak has dropped a « truth serum » in the drinks, triggering a succession of confessions that he proceeds to record. As a matter of fact, this is all part of the plan…
As the hallucinatory shenanigans progressively get out of hand , Zak is torn between two women : Cassandra, the exquisite seductress who may be part of her husband’s Machiavellian schemes ; and the self-deprecating Lea, whom Zak tries to seduce through mind-bending feats.
All this leading to thoroughly surprising revelations about humanity, the nature of reality and the power of love ».
AUTHOR’S VISION
More timely than ever, « ZAK » aspires to be a sophisticated, accessible piece of entertainment.
The young «hacktivist» incarnates the new kind of hero who rebels against the most nefarious currents of our contemporary world.
The spectacle depicts the pifalls of a repressive society as a comedy of manners and moral tale.
A film that keenly observes the fascinating melding of Europe, America and the emerging world. A movie that pokes fun and celebrates “culture clash” .
The main hero is a modern-day Candide in a coming of age story in which the “monsters” he encounters are the corrupt leaders and the shifting perceptions of a collapsing world.
I want to use elements of the catastrophe and teen comedy genres in a manner that will make the narration, in spite of the complexity of the subjects, understandable to anyone.
I see the movie as a gentle parody of science fiction narrations with a metaphysical bent; and of the « conspiracy" fictions so ingrained in Pop culture.
While social injustice and the culture of surveillance are main themes, the science-fiction- fantasy elements are treated with knowing “third degree” humor . Given the international nature of the main cast, the clash of cultures provides another source of piercing satyre.
I’ve chosen to deal with serious themes in a comedic manner, because I believe that comedy is an ideal medium to consider the more abstract aspects of the human condition. In a chaotic world in which it is difficult to find narrative coherence, irony seems the most eloquent path.
To create the hallucinatory atmosphere that permeates most of the film, I envisage a very stylized look : going from carefully composed tableaux that establish the « formal world » of the first part, to the unsettling transformations that reflect the character’s unexpected experiences in the later sequences.
ZAK is a cautionary tale about the dangers of living in an overly controlled and unjust world. The parodic tone of this « Babel Tower » leads us to the revelation that, in spite of its absurdities, life is well worth living.
Film References: « The Exterminating Angel » », by Luis Buñuel , « What’s New Pussycat ? » by Woody Allen “Waking Life” by Richard Linklater , "The Conspiracy" by "Christopher Mac Bride", « The Last Judgment » by Vittorio de Sica
Other References : Philip Dick , Borges, Kafka, Conspiracy Theories , Parallel Universes, The Theory of Everything