Zero Patience

Zero Patience

Sodomy ain’t so symbolic. Your rectum ain’t a grave.

Directed by John Greyson

Produced by Cineplex Odeon Films, Film4 Productions

1993100 min5.9 / 10

A surreal, genre-defying musical that blends historical fantasy with AIDS activism, using darkly playful absurdism to grapple with grief, stigma, and mortality.

The ghost of "patient zero", who allegedly first brought AIDS to North America - materialises and tries to contact old friends. Meanwhile, the Victorian explorer Sir Richard Burton, who drank from the Fountain of Youth and now works as Chief Taxidermist at the Toronto Natural history Museum, is trying to organise an exhibition about the disease for the museum's "Hall of Contagion".

Questions people ask

  • Is Zero Patience sad? Yes. More sad than 82% of films.

  • Is Zero Patience violent? Not especially. Less violent than 64% of films.

  • Is Zero Patience scary? Not especially. Less frightening than 58% of films.

  • Does Zero Patience end with hope? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

  • Is Zero Patience easy watching? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

30/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

You have seen this shape before.

Rarity94

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise5

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love20

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like Zero Patience

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as Zero Patience

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like Zero Patience, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like Zero Patience, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like Zero Patience, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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