Drowning By Numbers is a typically strange comedy-drama film directed by Peter Greenaway in 1988, starring Joan Plowright, Juliet Stevenson, Joely Richardson, and Bernard Hill.
In Southwold, England, there live three generations of women, all named Cissie Colpitts (Plowright, Stevenson, and Richardson). They share a knack for swimming, voracious sexual appetites, and, as it turns out, a propensity for drowning their husbands. Luckily for them, they have a close relationship with the village coroner, Madgett (Hill), who helps them cover up their murders as they string him along with various promises they don't intend to keep. But what happens when the game, so to speak, is over?
Drowning By Numbers takes inspiration from fairy tales and folklore, with its structure being similar to stories like "The Billy Goats Gruff" or "The Three Little Pigs". Reinforcing the theme is Madgett's son, Smut (Jason Edwards), a strange young boy who stages various bizarre "games", narrating the rules as though they had existed for quite some time. As is typical of Greenaway, there are plenty of gorgeously composed shots, ribald sexuality, Black Comedy, and a beautiful score courtesy of Michael Nyman.
One of the most unique things about this already unique film is its counting device. From the first scene onward, numbers appear in each scene, whether in the background or spoken aloud in dialogue, counting up to 100. "Bad News", an episode of How I Met Your Mother, borrowed this device in reverse, counting down (from 50) instead of up.
This film contains the following tropes:
- A Man Is Always Eager: Subverted. Cissie II's husband, Hardy, is more concerned with his work than with making love to his wife, and while he indulges her every so often he can't keep up with her. This leads to his death.
- All Women Are Lustful: The three Cissie Colpittses certainly are. It's part of the reason why Cissie II drowns her husband: the fact that he simply can't keep up with her libido frustrates her.
- Attempted Rape: Madgett, angry after being strung along by the Cissies, tries to force himself upon Cissie III in his car.
- Bittersweet Ending: If you find the Cissies sympathetic. The three Cissies get away with their crimes, including their murder of Madgett; however, Smut also kills himself. If you find Madgett more sympathetic than the Cissies, this is a straight-up Downer Ending.
- Blackmail: Just about the only thing Madgett has on the Cissies. He knows what they did, and he could tell at any time - which he threatens to at several points. Not that he does, of course.
- Death of a Child: Smut hangs himself with a jump rope after he believes he caused the death of the Skipping-Rope Girl. If the Skipping-Rope Girl did die, that makes her another example.
- Groin Attack: Self-inflicted. Smut circumcises himself with a pair of scissors because he thinks his crush, the Skipping-Rope Girl, would prefer him that way.
- Leitmotif: "Sheep And Tides
" plays as Smut introduces each new game.- After each drowning, a snippet from the slow movement of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante in E flat is played. The entire rest of the score is variations on themes from this same composition.
- My God, What Have I Done?: She tries to hide it, but Cissie III is the only one of the three who seems to feel bad about drowning her husband, appearing the most distraught after the deed to the point of stress vomiting.
- Numerological Motif: The famous numbers counting up to 100 is kicked off by the Skipping-Rope Girl counting all the stars in the sky only up to 100: "once you've counted the first hundred, all the rest are the same." The numbers, while present, ultimately don't affect the plot very much, representing the human urge to seek order and patterns where none may exist.
- Rule of Three: There are three Cissie Colpittses, and three drowned husbands. Madgett mentions this trope in all but name in the page quote.
- Someone to Remember Him By: Cissie III is pregnant with Bellamy's child after drowning him. Played with, as part of the reason why she drowned him is because, by becoming pregnant, she already "got what she wanted".
- Trademark Favorite Food: Madgett is frequently seen eating chocolate pudding, and one of the Cissies remarks that that's one of the few things he seems to want out of life.
- Woman Scorned: Cissie I drowns her husband after he comes home drunk with another woman.
