Drowning by Numbers
Director: Peter Greenaway Run Time: 118 min. Format: Digital Projection Release Year: 1988
Starring: Bernard Hill, Joan Plowright, Joely Richardson, Juliet Stevenson
Last seen at The Brattle in 2013 being presented by noted author Neil Gaiman, Peter Greenaway’s DROWNING BY NUMBERS follows the consequences when three women from the same family (all named Cissie Colpitts) each drown their troublesome husbands—and convince the local coroner to help cover up the crimes. It sounds simple, but in the hands of masterful visual artist Peter Greenaway, the film becomes a baroque meditation on the nature of life and games—and the game of life.
“Drowning by Numbers is a surreal, satirical descent to the dark side of English gamesmanship. It is a brilliant black comedy.” – Maclean’s Magazine