Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman’s new film The Roses is a dark comedy that intentionally portrays two humans committing horrific acts, but some viewers have found it offensive.
The film, produced by South of the River productions, follows the Sherlock actor, 29, and the Fleabag star, 51, as a sparring husband and wife stuck in a toxic relationship.
After it dropped to lukewarm reviews, the film has now caused backlash, with charity The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation laying into one scene, calling it ‘careless, offensive and completely unacceptable’ to EpiPen users.
The ‘disturbing’ scene in question sees Cumberbatch’s character Theo give Colman’s Ivy a food he knows she is allergic to, then withholds her EpiPen until she agrees to sign divorce papers.
The charity wrote in a statement: ‘Withholding life-saving medication like an adrenaline auto-injector (EpiPen, Jext) in a medical emergency, is not remotely funny; especially as life-threatening food allergies affect so many people.
‘These portrayals are not only triggering, they are dangerous. Using food allergies and the threat of anaphylaxis for cheap laughs is careless, offensive and completely unacceptable – just one more very important reason why it is so important for us all to continue to raise awareness and educate others on the reality and dangers of living with food allergies.
‘Natasha’s Foundation will be contacting the filmmakers directly.’
Despite this being a dark satirical comedy – where the whole point of the film is two people doing outrageous and shocking things to each other – some members of this online community were not impressed.
‘It’s a depiction – not endorsement’
Having seen the film, Metro’s assistant entertainment editor Brooke Johnson thinks criticism is unjustified
‘While the charity is right to emphasise how serious and life-threatening allergies can be, to suggest that The Roses is “dangerous” simply for including an allergy scene is to misunderstand how narrative works,’ she says.
‘By that logic, any harmful act shown in a film – whether it’s violence, neglect, or cruelty – would be seen as an endorsement rather than a depiction. But storytelling has always relied on flawed, sometimes reckless characters doing awful things.
‘The Roses is a film about the breakdown of a toxic marriage, and the allergy moment sits within that broader portrait of pettiness, cruelty, and dysfunction. It isn’t played as a ‘cheap laugh’ in isolation; it’s part of a carefully constructed tonal balance between comedy and tragedy.
‘That uneasy, sometimes uncomfortable blend is the film’s central point: to expose how marriage, like life itself, can be both absurdly funny and painfully dark at once.
”And in fact, it’s naive. Doing so flattens complex stories into simple questions of right and wrong and discourages filmmakers from engaging with the messy, uncomfortable truths that art is uniquely equipped to illuminate.’
One viewer told the charity: ‘We just went to see the film The Roses at the cinema… totally shocked and traumatised by the anaphylactic scenes with allergies weaponised. I am shaking. It was such a dangerous portrayal of life-threatening food allergies.’
Other outraged viewers commented on the statement – posted on social media – as Helen Jev said: ‘I have just watched it. There were several appalling scenes regarding allergies.
‘Firstly she ate something with raspberries in because she “couldn’t resist” even though they knew she had an allergy – they just got her EpiPen ready and then injected her (stood up) then she carried on with her day.
‘Then she wanted his attention at another point in the film so she just started eating raspberries to get his attention. Again he injects her with an EpiPen and she carries on with her day.
‘And then thirdly the scene where he tricks her into eating cake with raspberries in and refuses to inject her till she signs the house over to him. Then once injected she just carries on running round the house. It’s so appallingly irresponsible.’
Kate Hyland said: ‘100% agree. I saw this last night and was not happy. Wrong on so many levels and the idea that epipens work like a magical antidote is seriously dangerous misinformation to be spreading.’
Jade Rebecca said: ‘My heart dropped when I saw the first ‘allergic reaction’, and it ruined the film for me. I’m still thinking about it 3 days later.
‘It was portrayed like a silly game “oh mummy can’t resist, wait kids – get the EpiPen ready!!” – The implication that you can just trigger a reaction, use an EpiPen and all will be well was so so so dangerous, and in 3 separate scenes too!
‘It’s difficult enough trying to get people to take allergies seriously and this makes it even harder as so many people will take it as accurate.’
‘Horrific behaviour is the whole point of the film’
Metro TV reporter Asyia Iftikhar, who has seen the movie, says: ‘Although I can appreciate that the portrayal of allergies, and how an EpiPen is simple an ‘easy fix’ can definitely be harmful, I would hope most audiences watching the movie aren’t taking allergy advice from a dark comedy which hinges on heightened and absurd scenarios.
‘The final allergy scene, in which Theo secretly feeds his wife Ivy raspberries without her knowledge in order to coerce her to sign the divorce papers, is at the climax of the movie when this couple has been driven to utter insanity – and is ready to murder to get what they want.
‘It is certainly not an endorsement of this behaviour (in fact the audience is meant to be encouraged to despair at just how petty and unhinged they have both become).
‘What’s more, Ivy herself calls Theo out for his completely immature and destructive behaviour and is utterly horrified at how far he has taken it.
‘At the end of the day, by this point of the movie, the stakes are meant to be high and this move makes sense for the narrative. Not all characters will behave in a morally sound way, otherwise storytelling would cease to exist.’
‘Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy (Olivia) and Theo (Benedict): successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids,’ the official synopsis reads.
‘But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing – as Theo’s career nosedives while Ivy’s own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites.’
Colman and Cumberbatch, close friends in real life, described hitting a ‘speed bump’ while filming as the toxic couple.
Overall calling filming an ‘enjoyable experience’, Cumberbatch told Yahoo Entertainment: ‘There was one speed bump where it started to get a bit toxic, and I was like, “I might need to check in with you as a friend, because this is getting a bit nasty now”.
‘But after that, it was just a lot of fun insulting each other and making it up [to one another].’
The Roses serves as a remake of the 1989 comedy starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas, titled War of the Roses.
Olivia and Benjamin lead the star-studded cast alongside Kate McKinnon, Jamie Dimitriou, Allison Janney, Ncuti Gatwa and Andy Samberg.
Metro has contacted South of the River Pictures for comment.
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