Rooted Out - Chapter One

An overgrown back garden tree stands at the centre of political, racial and class divides in Rooted Out - Chapter One. The first part of Freddie Hutton-Mills’ comedy drama is straddles the most sensitive of lines, whilst managing to remain affable and thought-provoking.

In the shadow of the Southport riots of summer 2024, two sets of neighbours are set on a collision course. Politically invigorated Peter (Jonas Armstrong) and his gardening enthusiast partner Claire (Olivia Grant) find themselves set against young parents Ama (Nadine Mills) and Kojo (CJ Beckford), when the shadow of an overgrown tree blocks’ Claire’s garden light. But as political tensions rise across the country, both families begin to suspect there is more sitting at the heart of their feud than just greenery.

It feels appropriate to watch Rooted Out – Chapter One in the middle of a heatwave, as it harkens back to one of the most politically heated summers of recent times. And this sense of rising tension and temperature is reflected in the texture of the film itself. A slow simmering discomfort is brilliantly crafted by director/writer Freddie Hutton-Mills, as an awkward domestic dynamic is poisoned further by relentless discourse on a national tragedy in the form of ever-present screens in both family’s home environments. The Southport killings are silently present throughout the film’s narrative, quietly powering Claire’s growing bigotry, Peter’s political reawakening and Ama’s righteousness. A fading warmness overlays multiple sequences in the film – realising both the season in which the film is set and the fading warmth that exists between the two neighbours as their friendships collapse.

The film takes its time ‘heating up’, with the actual inciting argument over the tree not occurring until late in this first chapter’s narrative. The benefit of two parts makes this justifiable, and whilst some of the first half of this addition meanders, it does allow the indoctrination effect of the news footage to come across clearly. The film’s length also allows each of the four principal cast to receive proper characterisation and development, establishing each as a unique individual with their own motives and drivers ahead of a presumed blowup in chapter 2. Of particular interest is the relationship between Peter and Claire, which will continuously catch viewers by surprise.

Each member of the cast brings quality and depth to their performances, but those of CJ Beckford as Kojo and Olivia Grant as Claire particularly stand out. Beckford is perhaps the least affected of the four by political events and comes across as a man trying to just do best by his family – at least until he perceives basic respect from Claire lacking. Olivia Grant embodies the well-bred Claire, an educated woman but one who nonetheless has bought into the message of right-wing populists and allowed it to impact on her view of her neighbours. Her quiet manipulative nature matches that of key collaborators for the more vociferous political extremists – as she confidently states her opinions as fact in order to wage a bureaucratic war. Whilst she is the clear ‘villain’ of the piece, she is anything but a caricature.

Rooted Out – Chapter One is a fascinating slow-burn – the first half of a story viewers will be desperate to see concluded. It holds a lot back for a part 2 – due later this year. But the strength of its characters sustains a story that moves slow at times, pieces are strewn methodically for a tinderbox explosion in part 2. The roots are planted for special, contemporary two part drama that could be prescient of its time. Let’s see if chapter 2 lives up to the promise…