amazon films: yam review

Two local filmmakers are proving that you don’t have t make a horror movie to have success with a low-budget feature film.

If you listen to any film studio or distribution company, they will invariably tell you that this is the case; that to make money in this cut-throat industry, you need to be certain to appeal to the all-important 16 to 24-year-old demographic.

A film about alternative therapy for the menopause, of course, looks to be hitting wide of the mark.

But this is what Angel Garden’s film, Yam, is about, and contrary to popular movie-business opinion, she feels there is a market for this type of film.

“Although the distributors might say they don’t think there’s a market for it, we know that the demographic says that we’re living in an ageing female population,” she says.

And Yam certainly does address some timely issues. Wild yam has long been hailed as a miracle vegetable, full of beneficial properties, and it is used by many as a natural remedy for the menopause.

The film also arrives at a time when the European Food Supplements Directive is about to come into effect, which will see many of the UK’s natural medicines and supplements taken off the shelves.

Without slipping into documentary, Yam manages to shed an awful lot of light on these issues, while framing it all with a subtle humour, reminiscent of an Ealing comedy.

Yam’s principal character, Pamela Plagely, is beleaguered from the outset: her husband doesn’t understand her, her son is doing time for dealing skunk and her doctor wants to fill her up with chemicals.

But with a little cross-cultural communication, Pamela discovers the remarkable powers of yam. Once she begins to grow it hydroponically in her loft, she not only attracts countless other women eager to partake of her ever growing stock, but also the media and local drug squad.

But without the support of distribution companies, how is Yam going to make it onto people’s screens? Well, Angel and co-producer Steve Paris have decided to distribute it themselves.

It is available online at Amazon.co.uk and Screenselect.co.uk, as well as locally at Virgin and HMV Broadmead and Cribbs Causeway, and 20^th Century Flicks in Clifton.

More interestingly, due to its relevance to natural medicine, Yam is to be made available through health stores, including Wild Oats in Clifton.

“We’ve tried to do things a bit differently,” Steve says. “So, you can go and buy your vegetables and alternative medicines, and at the same time buy a film about alternative medicines and vegetables. We thought it was hilarious, but it’s working.”