[4][5] Based on the play La Mandragola (The Mandrake) written by Niccolò Machiavelli in 1518, the film was nominated for the Best Drama 2008 by the Royal Television Society Awards Midland.
Callimaco (Jason Nicoli) is taken by the beauty of Lucrezia (Chara Jackson), but she is the loyal wife of Nicia (Geoffrey Bateman), a rich and foolish lawyer.
Callimaco hires the service of a shady 'fixer' named Ligurio (Mike Rogers) to aid in his quest to sleep with her.
With the fixer's help, Callimaco masquerades as a doctor and convinces Nicia that the best way for Lucrezia to conceive a child is by her taking a potion made from the Mandrake Root.
While noting that it was getting an outdoor premiere prior to its home cinema release, Birmingham What's On wrote that "the first feature by award-winning stage director Malachi Bogdanov... ...makes the most of a low budget", "The cast have a nice line in sly humour and keep the pace brisk with some nice comic timing...", and "it is playful fun that, at 75 minutes, does the job without overstaying its welcome".