‘Zeros and Ones’ (review)

This “thriller” starring Ethan Hawke in a dual role as a soldier and his revolutionary brother was filmed during the pandemic in Italy and the movie itself, if you can call something so sketchily drawn a movie, bears little resemblance to its official synopsis:

“Called to Rome to stop an imminent terrorist bombing, a soldier desperately seeks news of his imprisoned brother — a rebel with knowledge that could thwart the attack. Navigating the capital’s darkened streets, he races to a series of ominous encounters to keep the Vatican from being blown to bits.”

The movie is introduced by Hawke, who gushes about finally working with one of his favorite directors.

He also appears after the credits to confess, “When I got Ferrara’s script — script is a not really accurate term for what he sent — I really didn’t understand a word of it, but I really liked it. I really didn’t know what was happening, but I felt like someone was up to something and I wanted to be a part of it. But I didn’t know what he was trying to say.”

Like Ethan, I too did not understand what was happening or what the director was trying to say. However, I cannot say I liked it.

The film clocks in at a brisk but dull 86 minutes, and you may be as puzzled as I was that virtually nothing happens as we follow Ethan’s soldier character JJ and see his jailed twin — Hawke again — in full prophetic ranting mode in a brief retread of his abolitionist character John Brown from The Good Lord Bird.

The pandemic is threaded through the film as mere background:: Characters wear masks and wash their hands, there are bottles of sanitizer everywhere and everyone JJ meets insists, “I’m negative.” And Italy’s lockdown meant the streets were handily deserted for the extremely low-lit and grainy night time shots.

JJ prowls the seedy streets of Rome for information from various sources, which of course in a Ferrara film, necessitates a trip to a Chinese brothel, as well as a mosque, and a Catholic church. And, after waterboarding an informant, JJ films himself with a Russian prostitute after he’s abducted by Russian agents… because, well, you tell me.

The two female spies are called “Laughing Russian agent” and “Serious Russian agent” with the laughing one played by Ferrara’s wife Christina Chiriac. His daughter, Anna, also turns up as JJ’s niece. And the pal warning him to get out of his apartment before he’s snatched? That’s the film’s editor, Stephen Gurewitz.

Lord knows what the budget for this was, but it can’t have been much, especially when it comes to the “explosion” that supposedly takes out the Vatican.

I’m mystified about what attracted Ethan Hawke to this project, other than getting to work with the director of The King of New York and Bad Lieutenant and the chance to play two wildly different characters in one film.

For Abel Ferrara diehards only.

Rating 1.5 out of 5

*  *  *  *  *
Produced by Diana Phillips and Philipp Kreuzer
Written and Directed by Abel Ferrara
Starring Ethan Hawke, Cristina Chiriac, Phil Neilson, Valerio Mastandrea,
Dounia Sichov, Korlan Madi, Mahmut Sifa Erkaya, Anna Ferrara