Happy Valley Films

Close to Greenaway takes us behind the scenes of the first part of the trilogy The Tulse Luper's Suitcases in Barcelona and Almeria. In this film, for the first time we get close to the unique vision of the controversial Welsh director Peter Greenaway. The intense rehearsals with the actors, his meticulous method of shooting and his thirst for the new audiovisual and technologies are revealed in this documentary.

This European existential drama utilizes complex symbols inspired by abstract psychological theories to explore the effects and reasons behind a young classical actor's decision to stop talking. No one knows why Massimo has vowed to stop talking. Other than speaking dialog from classical plays, Massimo refuses to say a single word. His father, a classic-literature professor believes it reflects to a disappointing love affair. His new girlfriend thinks Massimo is rebelling against his mother, a poet. A director learns of Massimo and commissions his mother to write a play about him. Though Massimo plays himself in the play, and does speak, he returns to silence when the play is finished.