Crystal Phallus: The Brutal Truth About Zardoz

In response to the special issue on "Brutalism", this article reflects on John Boorman's 1974 cult classic film Zardoz, a dystopian science fiction which uses the term "Brutals" for its underclass. Focussing on the preponderance of crystal imagery in the film, it is read through the lens of Gilles Deleuze's theory of the "crystal image" in his book Cinema 2. While these philosophical musings may seem highbrow, the article engages in humour and "low theory", following Jack Halberstam's Queer Art of Failure. What is brutal about Zardoz, it turns out, is its denial of a utopian future, and its return to a patriarchal "business as usual".