Overview
A mysterious stranger disrupts the lives of a wealthy family, leaving them forever changed.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- None
- enigmatic
- provocative
- austere
- arthouse film night
- philosophical cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Pasolini’s sexually charged bourgeois family allegory as ambiguous, visionary, and philosophically provocative.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The visitor's departure leaves the parents, children, and servant unable to resume their previous identities or routines.
The visitor is explicitly questioned as a possible manifestation of God, while the film withholds a definitive explanation.
The visitor seduces the maid, son, mother, daughter, and father, provoking profound changes after each encounter.
The central household is wealthy and outwardly functional, but the visitor reveals its emotional and ideological fragility.
Films like Theorem, and why
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
shared allegorical drama, bourgeois family critique, sexual disruption, and spiritual ambiguity
The Holy Mountain
shared visionary symbolism, erotic mysticism, and challenging philosophical drama
The Servant
shared enigmatic outsider, erotic transformation, and unsettling examination of bourgeois identity
Movie Details
- Director
- Pier Paolo Pasolini
- Release Date
- 1968-09-07
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (461)
Cast
- Terence Stamp
- Silvana Mangano
- Massimo Girotti
- Anne Wiazemsky
- Andrés José Cruz Soublette
- Laura Betti
- Ninetto Davoli
- Carlo De Mejo
- Adele Cambria
- Luigi Barbini
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Theorem about?
- An enigmatic guest passes through a wealthy Italian household, awakening desire and dismantling the family’s carefully maintained social identity.
- What is Theorem like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Theorem as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Theorem violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Theorem.
- What did critics think of Theorem?
- Critics broadly regard Pasolini’s sexually charged bourgeois family allegory as ambiguous, visionary, and philosophically provocative.
- Which films are like Theorem?
- Films with a similar feel include The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Holy Mountain, and The Servant.
- How long is Theorem?
- Theorem runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch Theorem?
- In United States, Theorem streams on Criterion Channel.
