Something of a synthesis between the archly contrived "Draughtsman's Contract" and its more experimental predecessor, "The Falls", this, like all of Greenaway's films, requires close attention and repeated views. A meditation on similarity and difference, growth and decay, it follows "The Falls" with its litany of visual and linguistic repetitions. Anyone looking for a conventional plot, even one as convoluted as found in "The Draughtsman's Contract", is going to be disappointed. Not that there isn't a storyline - there is and it's important - but to really enjoy the film you need to be open to its symbolism. It's really a moving painting more than a film. Awareness of Greenaway's early experimental works helps a great deal in comprehending the concerns of this film. But if you're open to it, it's both thought-provoking and very amusing.
Review of A Zed & Two Noughts
