THE RAISIN (award-winning short film)

A short film about a raisin.

Written and directed by Rob Carter
Produced by Sara Shulman and Tom Holloway
Producer and DOP - Archie Brooksbank
Starring Trevor Allan Davies and Helen Ryan

WINNER of Best Foreign Short at LA Comedy Festival

A Bladesman Production
Editors - Rob Carter and Archie Brooksbank
Production Designer - Chris Rosser
Composers - Gabriel Chernick and Tom Recknell
Unit Production Manager - Tom Holloway
First Assistant Director - Tom Gordon
Camera Assistant - George Pearton
Sound Mixer - Frank Barlow
Makeup and Prosthetics - Poppy Taylor
Costume Designer - Chris Rosser
Photographer - Kit Oates
Location Scout - James Northcote
Standby Props - Stephen Carter
Sound Design - Ed Shaw
Colourist - Chris Shaw
SPK Videographer - Kit Oates
Storyboard Artist - Dan Morison
Catering - Anson & Curtis
Camera Equipment - Cameraworks
Transport - Kendall Cars
Poster design by Rebecca Pitt

Special Thanks:
Amy Lord
Joanna Griffin
Mark Maughan
Nicholai Saalfeld
Duchy of Cornwall Estate
The Squirrel

Filmed on location at Dartmoor National Park, UK

[thekat]

And the moral of this story is. . . . You are so busy making others wrong you fail to appreciate what is right about them.

[tracycrawford]

She gave back his purse. He left it at the store where he bought the potatoes and the raisins to balance the load. He’s not got all his wits since he could have balanced the potatoes in two 5 kilo bags and not have to buy the raisins at all. Not to mention lighten his load by 10 kilos! She is the store clerk who sold him the goods and that’s why she knew that 10 kilos of chocolate covered raisins is 5, 000 pieces. She was nice because she’s always nice and she’s known him for a long time while she watches his mind slip away. He needed his money so she took it to him, but, got caught up in his demetria. She knows the only way to deal with him is to act like he’s sane and go along with him. She smiled because she’s happy she helped him and that he is ok and still kickin. Because she’s his friend. Many friends of the mentally ill and infirm behave in this self sacrificial way.

[eyesiepaine]

This film reminds me of someone in my life who thinks they are the perfect friend.
He will verbally lash out at me at the slightest chance he gets if he thinks I deserve it causing me a lot of unnecessary upset grief.
After watching this film I have decided it’s time to end this so called friendship.

[simonsparks]

He who seeks a friend without faults shall have no friends. So he remains, friendless, blessed with burned potatoes, 4999 raisins, a squirrel he hates and some confusion.

[davestaircrazedlocalactor]

Well acted and well played. Had he not been so distracted by his hate, he could have enjoyed his potato.leaving us to consider what we might miss out on when we are stupidly distracted by hate. Nice.

[jelly]

Reminds of another story where a young man went to visit his grandpa in the nursing home. There was a bowl of peanuts sitting there and as they visited the grandson ate every one of those peanuts. When he was about to leave he apologized to his grandpa for eating all of the peanuts. Grandpa said, "no worries son, since I've lost all of my teeth I just suck all the chocolate off of them".

[irisbjones]

The shot of her in the sunlight leaving is poetry.

[andreamara]

Beautiful film. Reminds me of someone I knew that had PTSD from fighting in the Vietnam War. I never gave up until he broke. He later became my most kind, wonderful husband.

[frankie]

What a great and profound film! Loneliness makes you vulnerable and dismissive at the same time! Greetings from Germany. 👌👌👌

[northerniltree]

No potatoes were harmed in the making of this film.

[sunlion]

Awesome! I thought the last raisin would drop as he stood up and she would see it too. Maybe I’m just naive. The landscape, the wind especially, seemed like another character- bringing to the fore the old man’s self inflicted isolation. Brilliant! Thank you!🎉🎉🎉

[douglaso]

As simple as a fable, and as powerful too. There's a lesson for each of us in both of these characters. Simple is the hardest thing to achieve for an artist. Thank you for this film.

[Shmarful]

he’s the raisin and she helped him find himself and that he’s tired of being alone or that it hasn’t been worth it. the raisin. he’s spent 4999 days by himself and now she’s shown him what being alone has gotten him: unfounded skeptical hatred of good kind people.

[jimmymcgeein]

Don’t go around calling little old ladies liars when you have a chocolate covered raisins stuck to your nuts unless you want squirrels running around in your yard.

[DivineMeTime]

Pretty much sums up the last few years and the entire you-know-what debacle.

[jamesstone]

It breaks my heart that all of those chocolate covered raisins were ruined.

[CharliesToupe]

I live with people like this…….there’s one in every family. God help us not to fall into this trap……brilliant illustration!!!

[racheldolan]

Thank you! I love this. I’ve been working in longterm care for over 25 years and in my experience most of the time the women are much more crotchety than the men. One way or the other, the elderly are precious and have a lot to teach us. I really appreciate them and what they have to offer. Wisdom and comedy are at the top of the list. I love this population! Thanks again. Love that squirrel, too!

[cecileroy]

This film is pure genius - the photography, the vast, lonely landscape, the lighting of the interior set & the sunshine striking the woman's face after she closed the gate AND the acting, are just perfection. There's many different ways to interpret this short film. To me the old man has cut himself off from others and lives alone - except for his bitterness. That bitterness and his outlook on life, in such a negative fashion, keeps him always alone.
I'd love to know what was in that drawstring bag - maybe a small inheritance which he was denied until that moment... but it was far too late.

[markeidt]

I have been watching videos for several hours tonight. This has been the very best by far. Going to bed with a smile on my face.