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★★★★
Directed by: Ian Bousher and Theo Gee
Written by: Ian Bousher and Theo Gee
Starring: Jumaane Brown, Stephen Sheridan, Jason Griffin, Cora Kirk
Don't Water the Vine is a short film written and directed by Ian Bousher and Theo Gee. The plot follows a young man who bizarrely begins to produce grapes from his mouth and is unable to stop it.
The film begins by introducing it's protagonist, a young, likable architect name Cooper(Jumaane Brown), who appears to be insecure as he has placed a note on a mirror that reads: 'I am Cooper' and has developed a routine to repeat words of encouragement while he looks at himself in different mirrors around the house. The first scene shows him waking up at home and mysteriously a grape comes out of his mouth. He then goes to work, where his boss Alistair (Stephen Sheridan) bullies him. Later on in the men's room he chats with his colleague Stan (Jason Griffin) who mocks him. The next morning Cooper gets another grape out of his mouth. He then goes on a date with Helen (Cora Kirk) when as he kisses her, a grape appears inside her mouth. Frustrated, she walks out on him. As time passes Cooper's problem becomes worse as he reaches the point where he is vomiting a large number of grapes. Unable to control it, he vomits in front of Stan in the men's room and later on as he attempts to deliver a presentation in a boardroom in front of clients with Alistair present, he vomits there as well. The final scene shows Cooper lying inside a doctor's office, struggling to control himself. He then seems to reach the peak when he suddenly vomits a huge number of grapes. The doctor (Philip Gill) picks a grape up and eats it. Then a naked man emerges from the doctor's mouth. That man is identical to Cooper. The film ends as Cooper and the 'clone' stare at each other.
The very first scene reveals the nature of the events that are about to follow. Cooper wakes up and a grape comes out of his mouth. In a close up he holds the grape with his fingers and examines it. As he does that the title of the film appears, accompanied by lively music. This moment tells the audience that they are going on a unique and extraordinary ride. And what a ride it is as the viewers follow poor Cooper as he struggles with his misfortune, while at the same time he is treated badly by the other characters: his boss bullies him, his colleague disrespects him, his girlfriend dismisses him and even the doctor appears uncaring.
The film could be described as a supernatural comedy. 'Supernatural' clearly due to the fact that the main character out of the blue proceeds to continuously have grapes coming out of his mouth. 'Comedy' because of the awkward situations that this creates and thanks to Brown's performance. All the supporting characters deliver very persuasive performances, however it is Brown who carries the story as in every situation he is in, the viewer can clearly see what his feelings are. Although his character is having a hard time dealing with the unwanted grape production, thanks to Brown's convincing and entertaining performance, the audience will likely be amused. Particularly in the scenes where he is about to vomit, there is certainly a sense of humour there.
Don't Water the Vine is a film that definitely deserves attention. The script is amusing, the performances are great, the score effectively captures the mood of the various situations and the mind-blowing ending will stay in the viewer's memory for a long time.
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