A Zed & Two Noughts

In the quiet expanse of a sprawling zoo, twin zoologists Oswald Deuce and Oliver Deuce devote their lives to cataloguing the animal kingdom. Their routine is shattered when a tragic car accident—set in motion by a swan that crashes through a windshield—claims both of their wives. The sudden loss hovers over the brothers like a lingering fog, turning their once‑methodical world into a landscape of unanswered questions and lingering grief.

Bound together by shared sorrow, the brothers find an uneasy comfort in the exacting rhythm of decay. Their scientific curiosity pivots toward the inevitable process of decomposition, prompting them to film the slow, unnoticed transformations of organic matter. Time‑lapse sequences of rotting fruit and disintegrating specimens become a quiet ritual, a way to measure time and confront the fragility of life. The zoo’s hushed corridors and the organic sounds of the animal enclosures provide a stark backdrop for their contemplative work, blending clinical observation with an almost poetic reverence for the natural cycle.

Into this solemn tableau steps Alba Bewick, the surviving driver of the accident, whose own physical loss mirrors the twins’ emotional wounds. Her presence is both a reminder of the calamity and a catalyst for new, tentative connections. Meanwhile, Venus de Milo, a wandering storyteller who makes her living among the zoo’s hidden corners, offers the brothers a different sort of solace—a narrative thread that weaves together memory, myth, and the lingering scent of loss. Her interplay with the twins hints at an unspoken yearning for understanding beyond the confines of scientific rigor.

The film unfolds with a measured, almost reverent visual style, punctuated by the soothing cadence of Sir David Attenborough’s natural‑history commentary. This lyrical narration underscores the delicate balance between observation and emotion, casting the zoo as both a sanctuary and a stage for the twins’ introspective journey. The tone is simultaneously clinical and haunting, inviting the audience to linger on the quiet beauty of transformation while contemplating how grief can redirect the pursuit of knowledge into uncharted, and sometimes unsettling, territories.

Last Updated: December 04, 2025 at 15:54