In researching for the film we were heavily influenced by the Hindu Caste system, which divided the people of India into groups that formed their social hierarchy for millennia.
Reading about the treatment of the Outcaste who were considered the lowest people in society was heartbreaking, but so too is any oppressive treatment of minority groups, whether for race, religious, sexual orientation, or any other unnecessary reasons.
In the world of Zero, the number you are born with determines the value you have in this yarn society.
We also used their thread as part of the symbolism. Not just the colour of the thread, but the wrapping of each character. Zeros have mottled brown, white and yellow wool with lots of knots and loose crisscrossed threads. One’s through nine’s are pink and as you move up the class system the top layer of crisscrossing thread diminishes with nine’s being of pure thread.
There are also the jobs they do. Eights and nines are the elites, sevens the law, sixs have professional jobs, threes, fours and fives are the teachers and business owners. One’s and two’s are manual labourers and cleaners, while the zeros… are outcasts.
For us, the beauty of Zero is how each viewer takes away a different message from the film. From broad sweeping social injustices to personal struggles. Our fans have shared so many emotional stories with us and how Zero has inspired them and given them hope.
As we say in the dedication of our Zero: The Beginning graphic novel, you are never a 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, or even a 10, we are all infinite in design.
