BBC Learning English People and Places Grow Your Own bbclearningenglish.com
Amber: Hello, I’m Amber and you’re listening to bbclearningenglish.com In People and Places today, we hear about a new film that takes us to a very English place – an allotment. An allotment is a small plot of land rented to someone for growing vegetables or flowers. The film – called Grow Your Own – is loosely based on a real-life allotment in Liverpool, where traumatised Balkan Civil War refugees were given plots of land to work on as therapy. In the film, an immigrant Chinese father is given an allotment to help him reconnect with the world and support his children after his traumatic journey. We’ll hear two extracts of an interview with film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh. You’ll hear plenty of descriptive language, as well as a lot of ‘word play’ using the language of gardening. Word play is when you joke about the meanings of words. So here’s our first extract. Larushka is answering the question – Although Grow Your Own is clearly about some serious social issues, it’s really a touching little British comedy, isn’t it? (Rather like The Full Monty, an extremely popular and funny film about a group of unemployed steel workers in Yorkshire.) As you listen, try to catch some of the adjectives Larushka uses to describe the film, Grow Your Own. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh Oh, absolutely. I mean, gentle’s the word you used, ‘gentle’ is definitely the word for this. Sort of, very charming, home-grown comedy. But ‘mild’ would be another one – I mean, it’s kind of like a less funny ‘Full Monty’ with potting sheds, really! It sort of centres, as well, on this kind of slightly cringe-y romance. I mean, it’s slightly embarrassing. Almost nudge, nudge, wink, wink territory. Amber: So the film is ‘gentle’, ‘mild’ and ‘charming’ – words you could certainly use to describe a warm, friendly person! And notice Larushka begins her answer with the words ‘Oh, absolutely’ – this is a very common way of emphasising that you agree with someone. And she plays with the expression ‘home-grown’ – vegetables can be ‘home-grown’ if you grow them in your garden or allotment and Larushka calls the film ‘home-grown’ because it’s a Britishmade film. She says the film has a ‘slightly cringe-y romance’ – if something makes you cringe – it makes you embarrassed or uncomfortable. She says the romance in Grow Your Own is so embarrassing it’s ‘almost nudge, nudge, wink, wink territory’ – she means it’s sexually suggestive in an indirect way. Listen again. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh Oh, absolutely. I mean, gentle’s the word you used, ‘gentle’ is definitely the word for this. Sort of, very charming, home-grown comedy. But ‘mild’ would be another one – I mean, it’s kind of like a less funny ‘Full Monty’ with potting sheds, really! It sort of centres, as well, on this kind of slightly cringe-y romance. I mean, it’s slightly embarrassing. Almost nudge, nudge, wink, wink territory. Amber: Next, we hear the film described as a bit ‘wishy washy’ – meaning it doesn’t have much strength or colour, it’s mild. And it’s described as ‘a bit liberal’ – as presenting a view of Britain as a broad-minded place, where people ‘all live together in acceptance’ - in a ‘wonderful new multi-cultural society’. And Larushka ends with a joke – can you catch it? Larushka Ivan-Zadeh It’s sort of a bit wishy washy really, and a bit liberal. I mean, it’s got this kind of idea that we all live together in acceptance, have a nice cup of tea and have sort of organically evolved into this wonderful new multi-cultural society – I mean! Maybe he’s right; maybe marrow growing contests are the solution to cultural integration! Amber: So Larushka jokes that perhaps the film is right – vegetable growing competitions might be the way to achieve ‘cultural integration’! A marrow is a large, long green vegetable. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh It’