A Zed And Two Noughts

A Zed And Two Noughts

Synopsis

Peter Greenaway followed his international art-house hit The Draughtsman's Contract with this extraordinary tale of obsession. Two women passengers die in a car crash as a result of which the female driver has a leg amputated. The zoologist twin husbands of the dead women are fascinated by the processes of decay, start an affair with the amputee and liberate animals from a zoo. This provocative, funny and stylish film is also a tribute to Vermeer and an exploration of the trauma of loss, man's relationship with animals and the attraction of lists.

"A Zed & Two Noughts, striving hard, even in its title, to play games of symbolism, multiple meaning and non-narrative structure, was not considered in orthodox circles a meaningful box-office success, but now, after nearly 20 years, the film has a considerable fanclub stretching from Siberia to Mexico City, most of whose members know the film considerably better than I. Because of its huge ambition and its infelicities, it is the one film I would dearly, if ever given the chance, wish to remake; a parent often reserves his greatest affection for the most troubled and troubling offspring." – Peter Greenaway