I am stunned how seasoned writer and director Abel Ferrara tried pawning off this nonsense as a film. It was the most convoluted, incoherent, incohesive nonsense I've ever seen. The story makes about as much sense as the title, Zeros and Ones. Those must be the ratings out of 10? Scenes were random and just came out of nowhere, It felt like a bunch of rejected 1980's screenplays that were shredded, then randomly taped together. Slow mo's. Unfocused and blurred. Shaky cam enough to set off a seizure. I wouldn't even expect this quality from a 5th grade drama class. It's a generous 2/10 from me, only because I feel bad for Hawke, and I did like the electric guitar score.
127 Reviews
Pretentious and boring, yet truly artistic?
siderite19 December 2021
Just know that this is a film about a guy running around a city. There is no real action, it's certainly not sci-fi in any conceivable way and it is an adventure only in the sense that you are watching it.
The film begins and ends with Ethan Hawke, the actor, talking to the audience about the film. The first part is "I love Abel Ferrara and we are trying to make this film" and the last part is "When I got the script to this I didn't get it and now, after I watched the film and you watched the film, no one gets it". In between lies the movie, a seemingly random mix of scenes filmed in grainy low detail, with unfocused shots, featuring people without names that do random things. I know Ferrara had a grand vision for what the film is saying, but I assure you you won't understand what that was. If you search the web for explanations of the film, they are mostly interpretations of what Ethan Hawke says at the end, not of what happened in the movie.
In that sense, this is true art: I made it, you either like it or hate it, I don't care!
But this is also why this film deserves its low rating. It doesn't care. It's not a communication, where one has to take care the message is both received and understood, it's the mad ramblings of homeless people, the rantings of political figures, that friend who won't shut up and interrupts everyone to talk about themselves, the avantgarde painting of spread feces where you have to believe there is a beautiful painted woman underneath because the artist says so. It's a monologue, a stream of consciousness with which you might resonate, but never truly comprehend. Perhaps this is one of those films that are better on LSD? Who knows.
Bottom line: Spewing out thoughts and perceptions without any structure or care of your audience is not art, it's vomiting. Some might enjoy it, for their own reasons, but that's all it is.
The film begins and ends with Ethan Hawke, the actor, talking to the audience about the film. The first part is "I love Abel Ferrara and we are trying to make this film" and the last part is "When I got the script to this I didn't get it and now, after I watched the film and you watched the film, no one gets it". In between lies the movie, a seemingly random mix of scenes filmed in grainy low detail, with unfocused shots, featuring people without names that do random things. I know Ferrara had a grand vision for what the film is saying, but I assure you you won't understand what that was. If you search the web for explanations of the film, they are mostly interpretations of what Ethan Hawke says at the end, not of what happened in the movie.
In that sense, this is true art: I made it, you either like it or hate it, I don't care!
But this is also why this film deserves its low rating. It doesn't care. It's not a communication, where one has to take care the message is both received and understood, it's the mad ramblings of homeless people, the rantings of political figures, that friend who won't shut up and interrupts everyone to talk about themselves, the avantgarde painting of spread feces where you have to believe there is a beautiful painted woman underneath because the artist says so. It's a monologue, a stream of consciousness with which you might resonate, but never truly comprehend. Perhaps this is one of those films that are better on LSD? Who knows.
Bottom line: Spewing out thoughts and perceptions without any structure or care of your audience is not art, it's vomiting. Some might enjoy it, for their own reasons, but that's all it is.
Maybe I am born not to grasp movies like these.
Fella_shibby18 December 2021
Maybe I am not an intellectual fella who ain't cool enuff to dig the underlying meaning but I have enjoyed Abel Ferrara's few films.
This movie is a boredom filled with unnecessary dark, grimy n surrealistic photography and a pinch of headache inducing shaky cam stuff.
The director Abel Ferrara played Reno Miller, an artist who is slowly descending into madness in the cult movie Driller Killer.
Well, in this movie the symptoms of madness is all over n Ethan Hawke too seems to be suffering from folie a deux.
This movie is a boredom filled with unnecessary dark, grimy n surrealistic photography and a pinch of headache inducing shaky cam stuff.
The director Abel Ferrara played Reno Miller, an artist who is slowly descending into madness in the cult movie Driller Killer.
Well, in this movie the symptoms of madness is all over n Ethan Hawke too seems to be suffering from folie a deux.
Below zero
teutonfirst18 November 2021
Shaky camera, blurry image, Ethan Hawk, with a mask, more shaky camera, sometimes unfocused, darker image, filming without purpose, or on some objective, more blurry image, then BAM! Car lights, then darkness, unfocused image, and goes on like that till the end, when the big secret is revealed, director was high. The end.
Had to see if it was as bad as the reviews
rachbruno20 November 2021
It's worse. Oh how Ethan Hawke has fallen. He's capable of more than this. Someone get Ethan Hawke a better role! Don't make the mistake I did in thinking, "It can't be THAT bad" and then watching it. Just skip it and save yourselves. It's too late for me.
At least they predicted the rating on the title
drsnow-0641219 November 2021
Opening video from Ethan Hawke promoting the movie seems like he has a gun to his head. The director might be a fan of films from the 70s, Using grainy film and too much close up shots to the actors. We appreciate the film following quarantine protocols, but it doesn't state there is a pandemic, which is unnecessary. Both the film and the director scored zeros and ones.
What the heck was this?
Horror_Flick_Fanatic20 November 2021
No, thx.
braunbart18 November 2021
Incoherent, pseudo-artistic, boring and much more, but not worth one and a half hours of your life, even in a lockdown. I gave it a try despite the bad reviews, but they are all truthful. You can´t even spoiler stuff because no one can tell what this could be about in the first place.
Biggest waste of time ever
bencrea18 November 2021
It's so boring, that's it.
Very hard to give a single damn about anything going on when the majority of it is in the dark too.
I actually don't even understand how anything this bad was made in the first place.
Oh and a very cringe intro from ethan hawk didn't help me appreciate this film.
Very hard to give a single damn about anything going on when the majority of it is in the dark too.
I actually don't even understand how anything this bad was made in the first place.
Oh and a very cringe intro from ethan hawk didn't help me appreciate this film.
what in the world was this?
conyo18 November 2021
Looking at the poster and short description, I thought I'm in for a beer+movie night, something in line of Olympus Has Fallen or Jack Ryan movies - bombing, hero, action, maybe even a babe - typical "I am not really a grown man at heart" kind of movie. Boy, was I mistaken. It's some artsy-fartsy all-dark shaky-camera blurred-pics movie, with very - VERY - convoluted story. I believe it was funded by Kickstarter, and it would explain quite a bit.
Ethan Hawke makes a speech in the beginning of the movie. OK, weird. Then he makes a speach at the end of the movie, in line of "I just watched it, and you just watched it" - pauses, and they you think "he's going to say 'I have no idea what we just both watched', he's going to say it!" - but he doesn't. Pity, that'd be a masterpiece :D.
Ethan Hawke makes a speech in the beginning of the movie. OK, weird. Then he makes a speach at the end of the movie, in line of "I just watched it, and you just watched it" - pauses, and they you think "he's going to say 'I have no idea what we just both watched', he's going to say it!" - but he doesn't. Pity, that'd be a masterpiece :D.
A feverish nightmare about the end of the world
thao21 November 2021
There are some directors I will watch even though the films gets terrible reviews. Abel Ferrara is one of those. He might be the bravest director out there. Always trying to push the language of film and story telling. This one has 3.2 on IMDb. I'm guessing mostly because those who have rated it thought they were getting a typical action film. The genre according to IMDb is Action, Adventure, which is very misleading.
I really don't know what I was watching and I don't think it matters. The film is like a feverish nightmare about the end of the world. I suspect it is best experienced as a avant garde video art film rather than a narrative thriller. Enter at your own risk.
I really don't know what I was watching and I don't think it matters. The film is like a feverish nightmare about the end of the world. I suspect it is best experienced as a avant garde video art film rather than a narrative thriller. Enter at your own risk.
a blur
dragokin15 November 2022
Seeing Ethan Hawk playing in an Abel Ferrara movie was a reason to watch it. The remarks at the beginning didn't scare mr, although I wasn't sure whether it was a joke or a part of the script.
When it Zeros and Ones was over, I was glad about it. In particular the running time was right, although I'm not sure whether it qualifies it for a feature film.
The movie did a good job at showing how the time during the pandemic was a blur in a lot of ways. On the other hand, it was difficult to follow. As it often is the case in such movies, it was hard to tell whether there was a script or the delivery was used to hide the fact there was none.
When it Zeros and Ones was over, I was glad about it. In particular the running time was right, although I'm not sure whether it qualifies it for a feature film.
The movie did a good job at showing how the time during the pandemic was a blur in a lot of ways. On the other hand, it was difficult to follow. As it often is the case in such movies, it was hard to tell whether there was a script or the delivery was used to hide the fact there was none.
Abel Ferrara
yusufpiskin21 November 2021
The movie begins with a foreword by Ethan Hawke. I've only seen this on DVD/Blu-Ray extras before.
Ethan Hawke was a fan of Abel Ferrara like me.
We both loved the same Abel Ferrara movies.
Abel is an objectionable name in the industry. Not many people want to be involved in his projects because Abel's films are incomprehensible.
Abel Ferrara likes to play with people's nerve endings.
The imdb and letterboxd reviews of the movie are proof of that.
The movie is an Abel Ferrara movie with its introduction to the story, the way it focuses on the subject, and the characters.
It will not upset its fans. Abel doesn't care about the rest anyway. As it's supposed to be.
Ethan Hawke was a fan of Abel Ferrara like me.
We both loved the same Abel Ferrara movies.
Abel is an objectionable name in the industry. Not many people want to be involved in his projects because Abel's films are incomprehensible.
Abel Ferrara likes to play with people's nerve endings.
The imdb and letterboxd reviews of the movie are proof of that.
The movie is an Abel Ferrara movie with its introduction to the story, the way it focuses on the subject, and the characters.
It will not upset its fans. Abel doesn't care about the rest anyway. As it's supposed to be.
Zeros and Ones
Prismark105 December 2021
Abel Ferrara's Zeros and Ones is an empty conceptual mess.
Here is a guerrilla filmmaker who is running on empty but who still manages to persuade pseudo intellectual film critics that he is making art.
Ethan Hawke speaks to the camera that this is a movie about the world today.
The film has a plot where Hawke plays a mercenary in Rome trying to thwart a plot to blow up the Vatican. He is also trying to get news of his imprisoned revolutionary brother.
The film told me nothing about the world today. Nothing about Covid, terrorism, the gulf between the haves and the have nots or corrupt politicians.
If you want to see dark moody shots of Rome at night. A movie that is the opposite of conventional spy thrillers then the film might have some merit. To me it was a fail.
Here is a guerrilla filmmaker who is running on empty but who still manages to persuade pseudo intellectual film critics that he is making art.
Ethan Hawke speaks to the camera that this is a movie about the world today.
The film has a plot where Hawke plays a mercenary in Rome trying to thwart a plot to blow up the Vatican. He is also trying to get news of his imprisoned revolutionary brother.
The film told me nothing about the world today. Nothing about Covid, terrorism, the gulf between the haves and the have nots or corrupt politicians.
If you want to see dark moody shots of Rome at night. A movie that is the opposite of conventional spy thrillers then the film might have some merit. To me it was a fail.
Disastrous
rasmussen-7718 November 2021
Tried to watch and like
celt00719 November 2021
This movie is tedious and very hard to understand .
The film is dark grainy and odd.
It is so confusing Ethan Hawke hops on at the end to try to explain what he thinks it means.
King Of New York the only movie this director has made that is watchable .
The movie is art and it is made to make you think ...
I mean we could analyze the heck out of it to see if it really is some kind masterpiece or something that 20 years from now will be considers as such or we can forget it ... I choose to forget it .
The film is dark grainy and odd.
It is so confusing Ethan Hawke hops on at the end to try to explain what he thinks it means.
King Of New York the only movie this director has made that is watchable .
The movie is art and it is made to make you think ...
I mean we could analyze the heck out of it to see if it really is some kind masterpiece or something that 20 years from now will be considers as such or we can forget it ... I choose to forget it .
Is there a way to give a movie a negative score?
sanjsrik21 November 2021
Seriously, WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS MOVIE? Was there an actual plot?
Imagine walking into the middle of a conversation that's been going on for about 45 minutes, you have no idea what anyone is talking about because they are all speaking a language you don't speak. Then add that to standing in the literal dark (because it feels like 99.99% of the movie was testing to see if you could squint enough to SEE what was actually going on on screen) and you have an idea of HOW BAD this movie is.
The acting is terrible.
The plot is, okay, I have no clue what the plot was, even after reading the synopsis. Nope, no clue what the plot was.
The lighting is just atrocious.
There's no point in giving away any spoilers because it wouldn't make any sense and honestly, NO ONE SHOULD WATCH THIS THING. It is just THAT BAD.
Imagine walking into the middle of a conversation that's been going on for about 45 minutes, you have no idea what anyone is talking about because they are all speaking a language you don't speak. Then add that to standing in the literal dark (because it feels like 99.99% of the movie was testing to see if you could squint enough to SEE what was actually going on on screen) and you have an idea of HOW BAD this movie is.
The acting is terrible.
The plot is, okay, I have no clue what the plot was, even after reading the synopsis. Nope, no clue what the plot was.
The lighting is just atrocious.
There's no point in giving away any spoilers because it wouldn't make any sense and honestly, NO ONE SHOULD WATCH THIS THING. It is just THAT BAD.
let me try to count the "0"s and "1"s .....
THEgongoozler23 November 2021
Director: 1 (Abel Ferrara)
Writer: 1 (Abel Ferrara)
(paid) Actor: 1 (Ethan Hawke)
Target Audience: 1 (the same Abel Ferrara)
Budget: undisclosed, definitely very low "0"s
shooting permit at Rome: uninformed guess is 0, due to COVID-19 restrictions
spending on Lighting: $0
"spin" effectiveness by Ethan Hawke in the ending video: 100%, it earned 1 star from me in my rating.
Writer: 1 (Abel Ferrara)
(paid) Actor: 1 (Ethan Hawke)
Target Audience: 1 (the same Abel Ferrara)
Budget: undisclosed, definitely very low "0"s
shooting permit at Rome: uninformed guess is 0, due to COVID-19 restrictions
spending on Lighting: $0
"spin" effectiveness by Ethan Hawke in the ending video: 100%, it earned 1 star from me in my rating.
Spoilers anybody?
gekkepoppetje19 November 2021
Dark, shaky images in movie about nothing. Some heavy themes like muslims and Vatican? Bad FX? Actors with face masks in the glow of a flashlight? I wish I could post spoilers. After 40 minutes I still had no clue. Will someone explain what this is al about?
Lost in art?
na-0906918 November 2021
The introduction by Ethan Hawke (why and what is the added value?), presented with what seems a series of apologizing facial expressions like he doesn't believe in the project himself, sort of illustrates what you can expect the coming 85 minutes: an actor and a director who like each other and want to make a film loaded with messages: "I think we're gonna be able to do something really special. Uh, I consider the most important aspect of my job who I choose to work with, that's what actors do." Right.... Have fun with yourself.
Well, there you have it. Two boys with similar world views, getting lost in some artistic fever, totally forgetting us as an audience, trying to get heavy ideas across that get stranded in US film regulations which at some points can make US movies laughable like in this movie also when at one point Ethan is kidnapped and is forced to have sex with a beautiful woman. And there they go: he with his pants on, she keeps her full body stocking on. This scene is accompanied by emotional music while the images of a close up of the woman putting her hand on his back merge into chromatic colours. Very arty.
Earlier in the film the torturers of his brother gave him all the time to hold lengthy monologues. So....too much, so off target. I could go on, but I probably don't understand true art.
Really, if you want to say something and don't agree with events that are shaping the world right now, or just want to get your views across, then dare to say it. Not half. And don't drown your shots in too often over-dramatic music and darkness to give it some deeper meaning. Find a country where you have all the freedom to wrap your ideas and visions in an art form. My guess is the French for instance would have done a much better job at it.
Well I have to choose between zeros and ones right? Sorry I choose 2. That's art.
Well, there you have it. Two boys with similar world views, getting lost in some artistic fever, totally forgetting us as an audience, trying to get heavy ideas across that get stranded in US film regulations which at some points can make US movies laughable like in this movie also when at one point Ethan is kidnapped and is forced to have sex with a beautiful woman. And there they go: he with his pants on, she keeps her full body stocking on. This scene is accompanied by emotional music while the images of a close up of the woman putting her hand on his back merge into chromatic colours. Very arty.
Earlier in the film the torturers of his brother gave him all the time to hold lengthy monologues. So....too much, so off target. I could go on, but I probably don't understand true art.
Really, if you want to say something and don't agree with events that are shaping the world right now, or just want to get your views across, then dare to say it. Not half. And don't drown your shots in too often over-dramatic music and darkness to give it some deeper meaning. Find a country where you have all the freedom to wrap your ideas and visions in an art form. My guess is the French for instance would have done a much better job at it.
Well I have to choose between zeros and ones right? Sorry I choose 2. That's art.
This movie thinks you're stupid
nappa1952 May 2023
I'm not gonna pretend I understand what goes through the minds of the people who judge these films for awards, and I ESPECIALLY don't know after watching this. I don't care about what this movie is TRYING to say, or what it "accomplished", it doesn't deserve to be dignified that way.
I've seen this movie 3 full times and I can tell you all it's gonna do is make you hate whatever its message is.
I understand that you didn't have money or the greenlight to film an actual explosion, especially during COVID restrictions. But what I don't understand is why not substitute for something clever like playing a radio report of a terrorist attack? But what you DON'T do, is play footage of the location shot, with a pixilated fireball in the foreground.
I've seen this movie 3 full times and I can tell you all it's gonna do is make you hate whatever its message is.
I understand that you didn't have money or the greenlight to film an actual explosion, especially during COVID restrictions. But what I don't understand is why not substitute for something clever like playing a radio report of a terrorist attack? But what you DON'T do, is play footage of the location shot, with a pixilated fireball in the foreground.
I Liked this film but don't know why
esteemdancers-119 November 2021
The film maker should have cut the first 8 minutes. The rest of the film kept me intrigued just to know what is going on and hoping all the loose ends would come together, which I "think" they did. I fast forwarded through the gratuitous sex scenes, don't know why the film maker chose to inject that into the film. Perhaps to demonstrate the corruption of our society's morals? I believe if you are open to new film ideas and tired of the same old cookie cutter scripts then this film is for you....however I would fast forward past the first 8 minutes...
A Little Better Than New Rose Hotel...
dungeonstudio23 January 2022
As convoluted and disjointed as Zeroes And Ones maybe, it's trying to say something a little more than Ferrera's New Rose Hotel. That movie being based on a William Gibson novel that may or may not have helped to read beforehand? Zeroes And Ones can be best described as 'Realistic Fantasy', and calls into question what exactly are we scared of and not scared of today. Covid vs. Drugs. Discipline vs. Radicalism, Sex vs. Misogyny. Security vs. Freedom, Religion vs. Politics, Night vs. Day, etc. And though the movie is murky, it's fairly obvious Ethan's character represents ALL of us watching him. What are we fighting for? What are we fighting against? What scares us most, what scares us least? Are we trusting the right people, or is no one to be trusted? Have we become more secure, or letting anarchy have free reign? So if you're at home not minding lockdown, fearful of covid, have Netflix and a bottle of booze or some crack - chances are you'll HATE this movie. But if you go out onto the streets, realize how empty they are, see boarded up broken windows and realize crime is still going on for sheer vandalism or robbery, and wonder how much like ostriches we've become in light of all our past experiences and threats. Then I think you might actually LIKE this movie?
zero point to this stinker
psxexperten17 December 2021
This movie is insanely terrible. That was visual torture. I can't believe I actually put myself through that.
How bad can a movie get?
Answer: THIS bad. Actually cant get any worse even if you wanted it.
If the writer/director funded this himself, then it is a good example of why people with money should not be allowed to waste everyone's time with boring, uninspired trash like this.
This is a typical f-rated movie. The best way to watch is with the sound down while wearing a blind fold.
How bad can a movie get?
Answer: THIS bad. Actually cant get any worse even if you wanted it.
If the writer/director funded this himself, then it is a good example of why people with money should not be allowed to waste everyone's time with boring, uninspired trash like this.
This is a typical f-rated movie. The best way to watch is with the sound down while wearing a blind fold.
What a mess
mjschiller-105-31334021 November 2021
I tried to watch this, all I could think of is why would you make this, why would you brag about being able to work with a director when this is the result, what is this rubbish? Abel Ferrara should have apologised to the audience at the end of this movie! I didn't even make it 1/2 way through! It's a mess and a big zero, which I would have given if IMDB had allowed!
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