Drowning by Numbers (1988)

• Year: 1988
• Released: 01 Jun 1991
• Country: United Kingdom, Netherlands
• Adwords: 3 wins & 1 nomination
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092929/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/drowning_by_numbers
• Available in: 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Comedy, Drama
• Runtime: 118 min
• Writer: Peter Greenaway
• Director: Peter Greenaway
• Cast: Bernard Hill, Joan Plowright, Juliet Stevenson
• Keywords: dark comedy, drowning, coroner, suffolk, england,

	7.2/10
	93% – Critics
	89% – Audience

Drowning by Numbers Storyline

Tired of her husband’s philandering ways, the mother of two daughters drowns her husband. With the reluctant help of the local coroner, the murder is covered up. Her daughters are having similar problems with relationships, and tend to follow their mother’s example, and the coroner becomes reluctantly involved in their murders as well. As the plot progresses, visual and spoken numbers appear in the scenes, counting from one to one hundred.

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Drowning by Numbers Movie Reviews

Playful, quirky, and weird

Such an obviously non-American film. I believe this was the first time I had seen Joan Plowright, and she was so good. Having seen more of her work since, I know this is no fluke. Everyone else was also good here, especially Joely Richardson and Bernard Hill. I won’t go into any detail, but the movie is weird, weird, weird, and has a dark subject matter without being a dark film. Highly recommended for those looking for something different. Grade: A

Bye (the) numbers

English and dark humor – something you will get a lot of by watching the movie on hand here. This really will depend on your taste and how you like your movies delivered. The pacing is rather slow but consistent. The movie itself is also quite predictable (just the title right?) and then you have characters that seem not from this world.

But that is also how you should try to engage this. This is different, it does not really dabble in reality and is more like a play or a dream (though I have not checked what this is based on). So depending on your own taste and patience you will like this more or less than what I voted … I would argue I’m right in the middle. Very well made for sure and really well acted (weirdness considered)

Oddly Disappointing

Tired of her husband’s philanderous ways, the mother of two daughters drowns her husband. With the reluctant help of the local coroner, the murder is obscured. Her daughters are having similar problems with relationships, and tend to follow their mother’s example.

I really thought I would like this movie, with its clever counting scheme and dark sense of humor. I love black comedy as much or more than I love horror. But for whatever reason, I took no joy at all from this movie.

The How I Met Your Mother episode “Bad News” uses a numbering device inspired by the film, with the numbers counting down to the titular “Bad News,” when character Marshall learns that his father has died. Now, that is a show I greatly enjoyed, and now that I know the connection would be interested in seeing the episode again.