Grow Your Own (2007)

• 70%
• 2007
• Comedy
• Richard Laxton
• Benedict Wong
• Eddie Marsan
• Omid Djalili

Political refugees are given allotments as part of a scheme to help them fit into the local community. Reaction is mixed amongst the allotment holders of Blacktree Road, ruled with a rod of iron by committee chairman and ex-cop Big John, who bullies his son, known as Little John. Mobile phone company employees Carla, a go-getting bitch, and her dim young assistant, Mike, arrive at the allotments, offering five grand for one of the plots to make way for a phone mast. It is obvious that the sacrifice will be made by one of the new-comers. John is not keen for it to be Iranian Ali, because he is a qualified doctor, who gives free advice. However, Ali and his family are arrested as unsuccessful asylum seekers and John turns his attention to the plot given to Kung Sang, a traumatised oriental whose young children tend to communicate on his behalf. John's bullying treatment of his son over the latter's interest in African Miriam, and his strict adherence to the rules - including the introduction of a secret ballot - start to alienate some of the other gardeners, especially ageing free spirit Kenny and his friends. This intensifies in the knowledge that Big John has excluded all the other committee members in his greedy dealings with Carla and coincides with Kung Sang's acceptance by the group as he makes them all a soup from his freshly-grown squashes. Ultimately Big John will regret the use of the secret ballot, as a little international harmony comes to Blacktree Road, along with a new chairman.