In Praise of Nothing

“Nothing” might not have a very promising name, but it’s nonetheless an enterprising character. Tired of being misunderstood, it runs away from home and travels across eight mountain ranges and eight seas to come and visit us—commenting on all it sees, contemplating life and death, politics, the relationship between men and women, and the meaning of life, all in simple verse. It’s the world according to Nothing, an all-encompassing vision. The gravelly voice of Iggy Pop drives along this critical monologue. Sometimes lingering, sometimes restless, the rhythm of his narration has its visual counterpart in a series of documentary images of nothing filmed all over the world by 62 cinematographers. The footage complements or contrasts with the text, or leaves us guessing at a possible connection. The result is a feel-good documentary about Nothing, in which platitudes, deep insights, poetic observations and small mysteries blend to form a compelling whole.