Josie is lonely, recently single, and in need of something to care for. When she rescues a houseplant in need of serious TLC, it becomes the perfect companion, except it keeps trying to kiss her. In Sunlight Water, Glasgow-based writer and filmmaker Zoe Bullock takes that absurd premise and follows it all the way down, from tenderness to obsession, despair and a "magic kiss" that transforms everything.
Sunlight Water is Bullock's directorial debut. She is an award-winning playwright whose screenplays have been commissioned by the BFI and Screen Scotland, and the film grew from a terrible breakup just before the 2021 lockdown and the coping mechanism that followed: obsessive houseplant care. Officially a drama, the sixteen-minute film moves through comedy, horror and romance, and audiences have responded with shock, laughter and genuine tears.
Key Takeaways
- Bullock built the film as an anti-fairytale about toxic codependency, in which a plant stands in for the "taker" in an unhealthy relationship.
- Sunlight acts as a "third magical character," created through in-camera and practical light transitions that crew members cued by hand.
- Tyler Collins' performance is mostly voiceover, but he was scheduled on set to deliver his lines off-camera so he and lead Kim Allan could play off each other in real time.
Bullock spoke with us about obsession, the sunlight in Josie's flat, and the near-kiss that makes audiences gasp, laugh and sigh in a single breath.
Interview
What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?
Sunlight Water is a film about toxic codependency, inspired by a truly terrible breakup I experienced just before the 2021 lockdown and my resulting coping mechanism: obsessive houseplant care. It occurred to me that a plant is a lot like the "taker" in an unhealthy relationship. You feed them, clean them, repot them, guess whether they're under- or over-watered to keep them alive, all while the plant is quite unable to return your care and attention. I've found myself obsessed with obsession and fascinated by what makes people cling to things that hurt them or, even more bafflingly, offer them nothing in return.
I've seen lots of depictions of abusive relationships in film and TV, but far fewer that speak to a much more common experience that is nevertheless traumatic. Codependency is complex and relies on both partners being partly at fault. It takes two to toxically tango, and therein lies the horror. You feel yourself becoming simultaneously oppressed and tyrannical, becoming someone you hate, and yet it still feels impossible to extricate yourself. Sunlight Water is structured as an anti-fairytale: Josie is a vulnerable woman who only wants to feel love, but whose desire for that leads her to darkness, mania and even domestic violence, before the transformation of a "magic kiss." The absurdity of this story lent itself immediately and excitingly to a film that could be visually and sonically sumptuous.
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process, creatively or logistically?
This film has been several years in the making. The first draft was written in 2022, then developed between other projects right up until shooting in August 2025. We decided to self-fund the film in order to act with creative independence and in the spirit of peer-to-peer collaboration. This led to a four-day principal shoot in Josie's flat, followed by an exterior pick-up day to capture the car boot sale and the forest dream sequence, both of which were key to expanding the surreal texture of the film.
Casting was incredibly important, and the film was written with Kim Allan already in place as our lead. I knew from Kim's pedigree that she had the skill and presence to carry the film's emotional weight. Josie is the heart of the story, yet she spends most of her scenes talking to an inanimate object, which is no easy acting feat! Before shooting, we met multiple times over several months to build a deep, intimate picture of Josie's character.
What moment in the film feels most like you, or like something only you could have made?
I think the tonal balance of the film feels pretty fundamental and unique to my voice as a filmmaker. There's a moment where Josie and Ivy almost kiss, which pretty much always gets a big gasp, followed by a laugh, followed by a sad exhale from audiences. I'm so proud of that rollercoaster of emotions that we created.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making the film?
I knew I wanted sunlight to act like a third magical character in the narrative, creating a saturated, colour-soaked atmosphere to suit the off-kilter, fairytale-esque story. That atmosphere is rudely interrupted when Yaz's arrival exposes the harsh reality of Josie's state, plunging us into her manic descent. DOP Brendan Swift and I therefore worked with as many in-camera and practical light transitions as possible. Most of these were verbally and manually cued, with multiple crew members lowering gels, switching lights and sliding faders in concert to achieve the desired effect and give the film a physical, tactile quality.
What tool, technique, resource, collaborator, or mindset shift helped most during production?
It was fundamentally important to us that the relationship between Josie and Kyle feels real. If the audience doesn't invest in their romance, however bizarre, the twists of the story don't have the same emotional impact. So although Tyler's performance is mostly voiceover, we prioritised scheduling so he could be on set to deliver his lines just off-camera. This massively paid off. It allowed for responsiveness and mutual play between the actors, giving their scenes a dimension and warmth that we simply couldn't have achieved through separate performances.
How does your film fit within, or push the boundaries of, its genre or form?
While we're in the drama category, this film is chock-full of different genres. From comedy to horror to romance, we really wanted to play with genre to subvert audience expectations and use it intentionally to tell the story. Because of that, it's been a really exciting experience to hear audience reactions in a cinema, ranging from delighted shock and laughter to genuine tears, all within sixteen minutes.
All my work is genre-led and tragi-comic. I'm forever interested in exploring human problems from unique and unexpected angles. Whether it's laughing, crying or jumping in shock, my joy in moviemaking is all about creating unexpected emotional responses.
What does it mean to have your film selected for HollyShorts London, and where do you see it going next?
We're completely thrilled to be selected for the festival. It'll be our first time screening the film in London, and we couldn't be in better company. The international reach of HollyShorts is really exciting, and we're looking forward to the opportunity to meet a wider audience.
We're early on in our festival run, but we've already had an incredible time at festivals including HollyShorts UK, Sitges and Leeds. We're planning a few more trips across the UK and Europe next year (watch this space!), and we would love to take the film to an audience in the USA. I think US audiences would have an awesome time with this one. There's a strong history of Scottish romances doing well in the States, so we think this would be a fun twist on that relationship.
Main Cast & Crew
- Zoe Bullock, Writer & Director
- Nathan McCuaig, Producer
- Brendan Swift, Director of Photography
- Caitlin Delves, Editor
- Chris Gorman, Score and Sound Design
- Kim Allan as Josie
- Tyler Collins as Kyle
- Claire Macallister as Yaz
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