Shout! Studios
A formidable psychological thriller brimming with tension, trauma and turmoil, The Wasp will almost certainly leave audiences captivated and unsettled in equal measure. Based on a 2015 play by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm—who also penned the script for the big screen—the film shines under Julia’s Eyes director Guillem Morales, who adroitly crafts a taut puzzler that buzzes both with frustration and animosity.
Much of The Wasp plays out across a haunting exploration of an impactful childhood trauma between Heather and Carla, former schoolmates whose paths diverge dramatically only to intersect years later with unexpected and unfortunate consequences. Naomie Harris (Moonlight, 28 Days Later) breathes life into Heather, a woman whose polished exterior belies a tumultuous inner world. Her nuanced portrayal captures the character’s fragility and underlying steel, creating a compelling protagonist whose motives remain tantalizingly opaque. Opposite Harris, Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) delivers an exceptional performance as Carla. Dormer’s raw depiction of a woman trapped in cycles of poverty and violence provides the perfect foil to Harris’ more restrained character.
The charged chemistry between two women trapped in their own ways forms the beating heart of the film, leaving every interaction to crackle with unresolved agitation, power dynamics and shared history. Morales painstakingly builds and sustains a nest of indiscretions and secrecy, employing a visual language that emphasizes the characters’ mental states when thrust into claustrophobic settings. The juxtaposition of Heather’s sterile and affluent environment with Carla’s chaotic and cramped living space becomes a stark visual metaphor for their divergent life paths. Malcolm’s screenplay deftly balances elements of drama, suspense and occasional darkly comedic moments, creating a tonal tightrope walk that mirrors the precarious mentalities of its characters. She strategically deploys flashbacks to the protagonists’ shared past, and each revelation peels back another layer of their complex relationship.
Symbolism, then, plays a crucial role in The Wasp, with the titular insect serving as a multifaceted metaphor: The trapped wasp under a glass in Heather’s kitchen exemplifies her own confinement and uneasiness, as do the many dead wasps lining the windowsill; the paper wasp nest outside represents the festering resentments that have plagued her for years. Brutality follows.
7
+Stellar performances; keeps you guessing
-Heavy-handed symbolism, unexplored socio-economic and racial implications
The Wasp
Directed by Morales
With Harris and Dormer
Center for Contemporary Arts, R, 96 min.
