Following the deaths of their wives in a car crash, doctors and twin brothers Oswald and Oliver Deuce (Brian and Eric Deacon) channel their grief through an infatuation with time-lapse images of decomposing nature (from fruit to animal carcasses) and watching documentaries and chewing glass.
They become romantically involved with the driver of the fatal car crash, Alba (French actress Andréa Ferréol), who lost a leg in the collision.
They both have sex with her so she has twins. She has her other leg amputated, goes off with a double amputee and the dad’s commit suicide.
Peter Greenaway’s highly stylised filmmaking isn’t to everyone’s tastes, but for those who thrill to his often jaw-dropping compositions, A Zed and Two Noughts is essential viewing.
The sadness behind the extravagant imagery and the twin’s relationship with Alba is palpable. The best is saved for last, with an extraordinary final sequence where the two men attempt one final act of release, accompanied by The Teddy Bear’s Picnic and an uninvited multitude of snails.
Alba Bewick
Andréa Ferréol
Oswald Deuce
Brian Deacon
Oliver Deuce
Eric Deacon
Venus de Milo
Frances Barber
Van Hoyten
Joss Ackland
Joshua Plate
Jim Davidson
Beta Bewick
Agnès Brulet
Caterina Bolnes
Guusje van Tilborgh
Van Meegeren
Gerard Thoolen
Stephen Pipe
Ken Campbell
Felipe Arc-en-Ciel
Wolf Kahler
Fallast
Geoffrey Palmer
Documentary Narrator
David Attenborough
Director
Peter Greenaway
