Two complete losers, Andrew (Andrew Miller) and Dave (David Hewlett), live together in a house between two overpasses somewhere in Toronto. Dave works at a wire distribution company and Andrew, an agoraphobic, works from home for a travel agency. Their lives are perfect until Dave announces that he is moving in with his girlfriend of two weeks. While Andrew contemplates suicide and is accused of molesting a girl scout, Dave gets fired from his job and dumped by his girlfriend.

Dave returns home just in time to find out that they're losing their house and the police are there to arrest them. With everyone and everything closing in on the two friends, Dave and Andrew wish the world away, literally. Now they find themselves in a void of nothingness where they'll finally have time for the better things in life, like Keytar solos and videogames. But how can a situation this perfect last forever?

Vincenzo Natali (Cube, Cypher) directs this truly outlandish science fiction comedy. While the effects are elaborate, they don't carry the film. The writing is very tight, the characters are meticulously well-realized, and the cinematography and lighting are seamless. Even though the film features only two characters for nearly all of its running time, adventurous viewers will see that Nothing is very dynamic and captures the imagination easily.

To say that Nothing is character driven is an understatement. The film constantly strips away distractions so that the viewer has to focus on the two lead performances. It's fascinating to see Dave and Andrew's relationship change once they are free from the real world. Their friendship (which was a kind of quasi-marriage to begin with) is founded on Dave's ability to go out and interact with the world and Andrew's willingness (due to his agoraphobia) to stay home and cook dinner. Once Andrew becomes independent, everything falls apart and Dave struggles to stay in the dominant role of their friendship. Both David Hewlett and Andrew Miller are perfect for the task at hand, delivering funny and multidimensional performances.

Vincenzo Natali delivers another claustrophobic film like the superb Cube. This time, the vast amounts of nothingness feel almost suffocating. The negation of not just physical objects but of emotions, memories, and ideas is a startling idea applied to what is essentially a film with sharp pop sensibilities. Nothing is an excellent film for those looking for something different, thoughtful, but not too heavy on the art.