Rhea tending plants in the warm light of a grow room.

BFI Network Presents

Growing
Pains

Short Film - A medical cannabis tale

A young carer grows cannabis for her father, but can she keep it secret?

Festival Honours

Festivals & Screenings

Production Stills

Growing Pains film poster: Rhea running beneath a plant label bearing the film’s title

Why We Made This Film

Individuals who require cannabis to treat medical conditions are among the most vulnerable in society. The law is supposed to protect these people, but due to outdated prohibition laws, these are sadly the very people who are being prosecuted and vilified. We wanted to tell this story to highlight this reality to a wider audience with the aim of invoking feelings of injustice and making the viewers ask "is this right?".

The film is not an advocation of the use of cannabis, but an exploration of societal attitudes towards it; explored using Rhea’s journey and highlighted by the choices she is faced with as a consequence of continued cannabis prohibition.

Help The Story Travel

If Growing Pains stayed with you, please share the film with someone who would appreciate it.