Wasp

Just saw Andrea Arnold's 'WASP' and am blown away by the her talent - this story is so painfully real that as much as you want to look away you can't.

Beautifully cast and acted - not one false note from any of the cast (the kids are superb) and shot in such away that you find yourself not watching a dramatization but participating in something that is actually happening. You want to reach out and just grab the mother and shake some sense into her, even as you can't begrudge her need to have a brief moment of happiness (potentially destructive as her actions and needs are).

The director has great talent! Hopefully Hollywood will cultivate her!!

The development of lightweight portable 16mm camera equipment about 1960 made possible a new style of documentary film called "Direct Cinema". Instead of the traditional scripted (obviously fictionalized) method, in this new style the filmmakers do not involve themselves in the action. The camera being all seeing and unobtrusive-if the camera is not actually hidden the subjects become so used to it that they ignore its presence.

What makes "Wasp" so unique is its almost seamless fusion of the two documentary styles. Writer/director Andrea Arnold scripts a fictional story intended to look so authentic that it can pass as direct cinema.

This is done so effectively that not only is a casual viewer unable to tell whether it is fact or fact-based fiction, but in most cases actually assumes the story is authentic and the characters real. The acting (particularly by the children) is so well directed and edited that you feel certain that these are real people.

There is a bit of a false note in that the actress (Natahlie Press) who plays the mother is a bit too attractive; although they try to detune her appearance this factor still raises early suspicions . The only other false note is that at no time does anyone look directly into the camera, something inevitable when working with non-actors. But even this is not an infallible indicator because it would have been possible though careful editing to effectively trim out these behaviors.

The appearance of the wasp (a metaphor for the risks of growing up in this type of environment) is surreal enough to tip off the viewer to the true nature of the film, but it occurs so late in the production that it does not spoil much of a viewer's roller-coaster experience.

The 23-minute "Wasp" is a project of The UK Film Council's decision to select and fund the making of new short films by talented, but as yet unknown directors. Apparently the project is very open with few rules and structure, each director is given $50,000 by the project.

"Wasp" was shot on a council estate (a public housing project) and is intended to be a realistic but fictional glimpse into one day in the life of a fairly "typical" unmarried mother (insert British white trash here). In these public high-rises the adult occupants dream about the lives of David and Victoria Beckham and the children aspire to trips to McDonalds (especially attractive when their kitchen only contains moldy bread and white sugar).

Because Zoe (Press) fears her four young children will be taken from her, she drags them along to a pub where she is meeting a potential new boyfriend. They are not permitted in the pub and must stay outside with the baby. While she plays pool and gets romanced the children wait outside, bored and hungry. They manage to invent a few games to amuse themselves. The oldest daughter, who looks to be about eight, is already more mature than the mother and resourcefully scrounges for food.

Although a bit heavy-handed in making its points, the film nicely avoids a preachy tone. I found it absolutely riveting and its Oscar well deserved.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

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.

Zoë is a single mum with four kids living on a council estate. Things are rough for the family, with little money to spend on basics such as food and the like although Zoë doesn't really help herself by what she does. Asked out to the pub by Dave, Zoë has to try a place for her kids so she can meet him up.

Perhaps not worthy of the status of being an Oscar winner this is still an interesting and well-made film. Another reviewer on this site has commented that the film can probably be interpreted to suit your politic leaning but I thought that was actually a good aspect of it because it is so ambiguous. Is Zoe a victim of her surroundings or is she just a selfish, council-estate chav? On the surface it is an easy question to answer but, although I did lean towards the latter, the film did make me think about her situation, her poor options and the depressing future that her kids have in front of them. The inability to come down on either side of the fence does take away from the film a bit but I found that the thoughts it gave me covered for it; although I can also see why it would the subject would bother some viewers – after all, are we really expected to be engaged by a lead character that we would move cities to avoid? Press plays her well regardless though. She is totally convincing and deserves credit for being so natural and not allowing the sentimental leaning of the script to turn her into a sympathetic character. Dyer is a good face to have involved and is his usual good value in a wide boy character. The kids are very good and are the heart of the film, delivering depressingly natural depictions of council estate kids – f**ked from birth.

Overall this is an uneven film that will be taken different ways by different viewers but will likely bother many with its forgiving look at a real piece of white trash. However it is still thought provoking and that makes it worth seeing along with very good direction and generally strong performances.

WASP is a thoroughly unpleasant film due to its subject matter. The film is about a poor mother with four small children who is simply unfit to take care of them--let alone herself. Though technically an adult, Zoë is completely irresponsible and selfish. As you watch her hungry children and her ambivalence towards them, you'll find the film very shocking. Now I don't think that she hates her kids--it's just that her needs trump all others and right now her need to to hook up with a man. Now despite having these kids (and the oldest looks to be only about 7 or 8), she drags them to the pub and tells them to wait outside and leaves the oldest one in charge. And the children wait, and wait, and wait for many hours--often playing in the street to amuse themselves and starving while mom is inside buying drinks for her date.

This film earned the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film and it deserved it even though it was hard to watch and was so very unpleasant. There were two main reasons I liked the film. First, it was completely unflinching in how it showed a neglectful mother and her kids--you couldn't help but feel sorry for the kids and you wanted to scream out loud towards the end of the film when they are in such grave danger. Second, I really appreciated how the film didn't take a definite stand (right wing or left) and simply showed the family without commentary or trying to shove an agenda down your throat.

The film is very crude and harsh, but all this is necessary to accurately portray this lifestyle. This, combined with the shocking images make this a terrible film to show children, but an amazing film for anyone else. I dare anyone to watch this film and not be affected.