Wespen

Such a beautifully made film, raw and gutsy. The strength of the film lies within the actors, writers and directors portrayal of the characters. This is life or at least a part of it as seen from the perspective of the third person, a keyhole glimpse into a small part of life of a young mother. The film is so real it is unnervingly real. I'm not going to give away any spoilers but it is a must to watch. If you liked other contemporary British films such as Rita, Sue and Bob Too, Kes, Poor Cow, A Taste of Honey, Sweet Sixteen, Cathy Come Home and Angela's Ashes, then your going to love this. Yes this is one for my collection if and when it comes out on DVD. 10/10.

I think this short film is amazing. This is because of its naturalistic approach to filming and how the characters are portrayed in a very realistic style. I really feel for the character of Zoe. She is obviously desperate and you can see this in the scene where she dances with her kids to keep them happy outside the pub. Also, where she gives the children sugar.. to stop them from moaning and also partly because all she has in the house is mouldy bread. When the children pick the food off the floor is the most sad scene in a movie ever. You can see why she does what she does, and it shows a real portrayal of how some people live and how desperate they are for help.. :)

Zoë is a young mother of four small children. She's really down on her luck. Her partner has left her, she has little money, the kids need what kids need. Well food mainly. She has attitude. So would anyone in her position.

Angrily she storms down the stairs of her high rise carrying her baby boy and with her little daughters storming alongside her. She is wearing a nightie, and that's it. No shoes, no knickers. She stomps across a bleak working class estate and bangs on a door. When another young mother opens the door, Zoë falls upon her and the pair tumble out into the street fighting the way women do, hair in both hands, shrieking and swearing. There's some issue over their children squabbling. The neighbours drag them apart and as she beats a retreat, she and the kids, on her command, all together, give them The Finger.

Then Zoë meets an old flame Kai and the chemistry between them is palpable. Kai asks her out, but wonders who the children belong too. "I'm looking after them for a friend", lies Zoë. It's her first date for a long, long time, but she can't find a baby sitter. In the end she has to take the children with her. She's pulled between her genuine love for her children and her desperate need to, just once, break away from her troubles and have fun.

The story is powerful, supported by a careful and accurate screenplay. The whole cast plays well, but this is Nathalie Press' film. The Zoë character is feisty and frightened, blousy, brave and beautiful, despairing and hopeful, and Press hits the nail square on the head. The performances from the children are astonishing. Either the editors found some of the best child actors in Britain, or an enormous amount of material ended up on the cutting room floor as the editors tracked down just what they wanted. Kai needs to be gentle and intelligent, and the well-cast Danny Dyer gets it just right.

This short film really got to me. I it found heart breaking watching the young mother and her children gradually getting into more and more trouble. She just needed someone to take care of her! Director Andrea Arnold made a very special film. I score 10/10.

Update - and on 27th Feb 2005 Wasp won the Oscar for Best live action short film.

The winner for best short film at the 2005 Oscars,this well-made,gritty and honest film seems to me to have a very ambivalent attitude towards it's main character Zoe(convincingly played by Nathalie Press).

A single mother living on a grim council estate,she's prepared to scrap with a woman who attacked her kids by going to her house dressed merely in a nightie,then uses the most foul,gutter language in front of them(all pre-teen).Capable of behaving like an sweet angel one minute,and a gross harridan the next,she attempts to have some fun with a sympathetic suitor(Danny Dyer),but with no partner or babysitter in sight this is doomed to failure,with dire consequences for her children,left outside a pub.

The film charts the difficulties that such women face(or perhaps bring on themselves),and the subject of social services is frequently brought up.But is there a happy ending in store with the would-be suitor? The film will probably have different interpretations by Social Libreals and Right-Wing Fundamental Moralists because of this ambivalence.Despite it's undoubted quality,Laurel & Hardy's THE MUSIC BOX(1932),is still the best short ever awarded the Oscar for me!

It's amazing to me how such a short film could carry just as much emotion and power as a feature length one. Natalie Press was outstanding (as always) as well as the child actors/actresses who were all adorable and completely believable. I almost forgot that this was in any way an adaptation by the brilliant Andrea Arnold. With a story that hits home not because of it's grittiness, but because of it's honesty,.This one is one that viewers won't forget easily. And that's what writers and film makers should all strive for.