Review and critique at least one short film production

‘WASP’ -Directed by Andrea Arnold- Britain 2003

 

A moving and authentic portrayal of a young women raising 4 young children in poverty in a deprived area. She is desperately wanting love and a way out of her trapped existence, this leads her to take risks regarding her children’s welfare despite her love for them.

 

This is a realistic account of life a young mother raising children in a state of poverty. The film starts with drama and chaos. The mother rushes out of her home on a grotty council estate with her 4 kids in tow. She is barefoot and still wearing her nightie, the kids are dishevelled and appear unwashed. They arrive at a women’s house and the mother proceeds in attacking another mother whom she accuses of hitting her own children. The camera is hand held and shaky, conveying a sense of instability and tension.

 

On way home, the children complain of being hungry and not haven eaten for 2 days. The mother bumps into an old school crush who has returned from the army, she pretends they’re not her children and they arrange a date for that evening. She’s clearly excited and longing for social life and fun, like other women her age. There are frequent references to the Beckhams, this idealisation and identification with celebrities shows a desire to escape from her harsh reality. The camera zooms in on a fridge magnet “I want to be Barbie the Bitch has everything”, which portrays an immature fantasy and of identifying with a doll, again showing how young the mother is. There’s no food so the kids share out sugar from the packet whilst the mother is getting ready for her date.

 

Unable to find childcare, she takes the kids to the pub and makes them wait outside with only a couple of bags of crisps and a coke to share. It grows dark and the kids are cold and hungry. They end up eating left over takeaway ribs found on the street, whilst the mother is making out in the car with her date. The setting is grim and realistic.

 

The whole drama comes to a head when a wasp crawls into the sleeping baby’s mouth. The kids scream, and the mother comes rushing out of the car. Luckily the baby is unharmed, but the emotions are running high and they all end up in tears hugging one another.

 

The wasp is seen throughout the film, first we see it trapped inside on the kitchen window pane. Then we see it feeding off rubbish bins and finally on the baby’s mouth. The wasp is a metaphor for their lives: being trapped, being hungry even feeding off rubbish and finally the danger and risks they find themselves in.

 

Although the mother is guilty of neglect and irresponsible behaviour, Andrea Arnold shows her in a tender and compassionate light. We see her playfulness in how she plays and sings with her children. We see her need for love and fun, as she is still a child herself. We observe the paradox of her being fiercely protective of her children whilst also exposing them to potential danger. We see her vulnerability and lack of social support. I think it was moving and true to life and helped us to understand people’s complex lives rather than judge them and misunderstand them. I would recommend all people to watch this film, but in particular those from wealthy or privileged backgrounds as it would allow them to understand the difficulties faced by those less fortunate than themselves.