(Peter Greenaway/1988/UK and Netherlands)
Presenting a story roughly hewn
from the template of a fable or fairytale whereby the same thing happens three
times with differing effect or meaning, Drowning
by Numbers is part fantasy, part surreal structuralism and 100% Peter
Greenaway. Three generations of women with the same name bump off their
husbands/partners and inveigle the help of the local coroner in hiding the
murders with promises of sexual favours in return. The promises aren’t kept and
the inevitability of the closing scene becomes increasingly apparent.
But there is so much more going
on above and below the surface in this film. A visual and vocal count from one
to a hundred occurs throughout, referenced early on by a girl skipping in the
street as she names off stars in the night sky, stating a hundred is enough. Every
scene is laden with the bizarre and surreal, whether it is fruit, abundant and
rotting or bugs and slugs permeating the decor. There is movement and noise
everywhere as the story rumbles on in the foreground. It is a cinematic
exuberance, a celebration of sorts, championing storytelling, myth and
imagination. But there are deeper intimations also, the male characters are a
weak and flawed, none of them can swim, water is a huge presence, a visual
motif for the adeptness of women for living in the natural world. The men are
ogres of sorts, base, lecherous and disposable. 
This is a layered film, dense
with meaning, red herrings, cues, clues and intellectual trickeries and absolutely
prone to numerous viewings, once will not do it justice. Michael Nyman’s score
is an absolute treat too.
(3.5/5)
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