[1] It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.

[2][3] Although the entire subject is still shrouded in secrecy, the film attempts to tell the story of the development, deployment, discovery, and investigation of the Stuxnet computer virus and the malware software known as "Olympic Games" in as much detail, and as accurately, as possible.

It concludes with a discussion of the follow-up cyber plan "Nitro Zeus", and the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal.

[4] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 73 critics' reviews of the film are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10; the site's "critics consensus" reads: "Factors beyond Gibney's control prevent Zero Days from offering a comprehensive look at its subject, but the partial picture that emerges remains as frightening as it is impossible to ignore.

"[7] Zero Days was among the 15 films shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards,[8][9] but it was not chosen as one of the final five nominees in the category.