“Zero” is a 2010 award-winning short film directed by
Christopher Kezelos and released by Zealous Creative.
Plot (SPOILERS)
In this fantasy world, all creatures are made of yarn and
are each born with a one-digit number on their chest. This number determines their
rank in society, and thus how they will be treated. Those born with a high number (8 or 9) are
considered leaders and are well-respected, while those born with a low number
(1, 2 or 3) are destined to serve those above.
This story follows the life of an individual who had the
misfortune of being born with the lowest number and into the lowest rank of
society: 0. We’ll call him Zero. Zeros are the outcasts of this society and are
prohibited from having children for fear of creating more zeros.
Growing up, Zero was constantly bullied by his classmates.
Despite this, he kept his positive attitude. When he reached adulthood he
struggled to get a job and ended up homeless- along with other fellow zeros.
The turning point in this story came when he met a female
zero and fell in love. One night while they held hands police officers took
notice, forcefully separated them and jailed Zero.
Months later, Zero’s love returned and caught his attention
through an outside prison window. Zero was overjoyed and then shocked when he
saw she was pregnant! Nearby people, however, were angered at this sight and began
to surround her which caused her to fall and go into labor.
The crowd watched as she gave birth on the sidewalk. When we
hear the sounds of a crying baby we see the crowd’s faces turn from anger to
awe. They bowed down and walked away- leaving an empty sidewalk where Zero’s
love had been.
Having heard the prison gate open behind him, Zero turned
and found the gathered crowd and his love with their baby in her arms. We
finally see why the people had bowed- their baby had been born as conjoined
twins who together bore the most respectable symbol ever seen on their chest: ∞,
the infinity symbol.
The ending showed the happy family embracing and the words
“The Beginning.”
Let’s Talk About It
To say that Zero was treated unfairly would be an
understatement. As a child he was bullied and harassed, as an adult he was denied
opportunity and assaulted. It was disturbing to watch him be treated as a
second-class citizen but also eye-opening. In fact, I think the reason this
short was so widely recognized and awarded is because it directed attention to the
real-life discrimination in our own world.
This animation revealed a lot of ugly truths. I interpreted
the numbers people are born with as any aspect of our identity that is out of
our control. When we are born into a status that society deems undesirable it
is shown in how we’re treated- sometimes people react with unjustified hatred,
fear or avoidance. Sometimes, we are the ones reacting this way toward others.
I saw the ending as a representation of outcasts coming
together to support each other and create change- proving there are some wonderful
things only “zeros” can accomplish . But while it seems this was a happy-enough
ending, the words “The Beginning” imply there is still more work to be done. I,
for one, am hopeful. What about you?
My Critique
It’s incredibly challenging to make an animation about a
serious issue people normally find uncomfortable and produce something with a
light and sometimes playful tone without taking away its importance. This is what
“Zero” did, and it accomplished this using narration and character design.
I’ll be honest. I’m not a fan of narrators. I think there is
something respectable in the ability to deliver a message without using words. In
this case, however, the narrator helped set the tone for this short film and lighten
the mood. Saying “School was the only place where Zero received attention” when
he was being bullied and “Zero never allowed bad situations to get him down… he
didn’t want to be a negative number” were necessary in including humor and making
the audience feel at ease.
When delivering a sensitive message about a discriminatory society,
it’s important to not make the audience feel attacked. I believe making the
characters as bundles of yarn instead of humans was done to initially
dissociate this yarn society from our own. This character design, as well as
the use of stop motion animation (thanks to the real-to-the-touch materials), made
us view this world as completely separate from our own while hinting enough at
reality for us to make the connection between this society and ours.
“Zero” was a clever animation that brought serious issues to
light. Its narration set the tone while its character design allowed the
message to be delivered carefully. My
key takeaway from this short: We will encounter people who will define us
based on the number they see on our chest. Our true potential, however, will lie
in how we choose to react to and overcome this adversity.
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