“Grow Your Own”: A Movie Review

“Grow Your Own” is set amid the mud and clutter of an allotment garden. Run by hidebound traditionalists who ignore the occasional dissenting voice, the status quo is threatened by the arrival of a handful of asylum seekers who are given plots in the hope that outdoor work and fresh food will help them heal their broken lives.

This is not a film about gardening; it’s a story of prejudice and pain in a garden setting. Expertly written and brilliantly rendered by the actors, the film takes you on a journey of hope and despair with many insights into the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Benedict Wong gives a remarkable performance as the traumatized, and largely silent, Kung Sang. To a large extent the movie is his story, as we try to imagine what has happened to him and join his children in hoping he can find his way back to happiness. Will he be able to find his voice in such a hostile environment?

Philip Jackson gives us a believable villain in Big John, a man who firmly believes he can and should speak for everyone. Omid Djalili’s charming performance as an immigrant who is accepted merely because he is useful opens the gates to a change of heart.

It’s not all doom and gloom. There are some genuinely funny, laugh-out-loud moments and a wry look at the British obsession with the weather. The comedy comes from a raft of supporting actors, and only the talents of Olivia Colman appear to be wasted in a small part that goes nowhere.

Although the allotment is the stage and not the star, gardeners in the audience will not be disappointed. The film opens with some very funny vignettes of the lengths that obsessed “allotmenteers” go to for their plots. Slices of allotment life appear with numerous scenes set in sheds and the on site shop, fueled by copious cups of tea.

Those with a less horticultural mindset will be able to spot the gardening fanatics in the audience – they will be unable to suppress their outrage when one of the plots is bulldozed mid-season (which one will it be?) and the ones murmuring “sharks fin melons, sharks fin melons” as they leave.

With comedy, poignancy and some heartrending moments Grow Your Own is well worth seeking out. The film aims to plant the seeds of tolerance and hope in its audience; it’s up to us to help them grow.