one of the most appealing element of a gilliam film be that the well concoct visuals and the unsettling backdrop and and the manically frustrated character be evidence of the creator involvement . instead of most movie ( where the filmmaker be some director for hire that be pay to feature a star or two ) and you can feel terry gilliam presence through the experience . 12 monkey be evidence of gilliam own vision and style and a oppose to make offbeat movie for their own sake . 12 monkey be a variation on similar theme of gilliam repertoire representoppressive or recessive society and the solitude of the protagonist and the frustration associate with disbelief and and parallel realm . in this film gilliam do a fine job of blur line between the two realm and use ambiguity to force the audience to believe rather than know . this tendency for gilliam to neglect to fill in certain gap lead to criticisms of art house pretentiousness . the difference between gilliam and artsy poser be that gilliam choice clearly have a purpose and all of his image have meaning . the two nearly identical bath scene of cole in the beginning be mean to draw comparison which leave the audience unsettle . his bald head be a mark of uniformity in the disease ridden future world and yet make him recognizable in the 1996 world . the title itself be a mark of gilliam creativity and a it require the majority of the story to flesh out for it meaning to be fully understood . all in all and gilliam dedication to make creative film that be interest to watch yet also require thought and interpretation from the audience . the film have immense re watch value and since there be subtle detail and hint that can be miss upon the first viewing . definitely one of my favorite .