Kombucha

For the uninitiated, Kombucha is a sweet tea drink, which is fermented to give it a unique appearance and taste.

This is the drink forced on the employees of Symbio a company that expects total loyalty to them. In return there’s a lifetime supply of Kombucha and great financial rewards. It’s something that struggling musician Slimy Luke (Armand Grant) finds too tempting and gives up his (struggling) musical career, to join the rat race.

At first he’s reluctant to drink the Kombucha but veiled and not so veiled threats from his boss Kelsey (Claire McFadden) ‘encourage’ him to try it. Soon there’s no looking back. His productivity is off the scale, garnering promotions, and bonuses. The downside is his faltering relationship with Elyse (Paige Bourne).

There’s also the matter of the mother of the woman he replaced who turns up at the office accusing the company of killing her. Though she appears delusional, Elyse decides that it there are elements that are worth following up.

Stretched out from their 2023 seven minute short film director Jake Myers with co-writer Geoff Bakken Kombucha is a bit on an oddity as well as weird tale that could possibly be a satire on the demands that today’s businesses put on their employees, and the requirements for loyalty or penalty. As such for the main part the tone is fairly serious as the truth begins to come out.

However Myers handbrake turns the film into something far more lightweight that borders on comedy with elements of slapstick towards the end. It doesn’t quite fall into that, but it does affect the rhythm of the film drastically, as its not really hinted at in the earlier on.

Nevertheless, the solid cast handle the change without any difficulty as they confront the entity, and the good practical effects come into play.

Kombucha had its UK premiere at London FrightFest, August 2025.