Wasp (2003)

Zoë is a single mother who lives with her four children in Dartford. She is poor and can't afford to buy food. One day her ex-boyfriend drives by and asks her to go on a date with him. ... See full summary »

Director:

Andrea Arnold

Writer:

Andrea Arnold

Stars:

Natalie Press, Danny Dyer, Jodie Mitchell

Won 1 Oscar. Another 21 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Natalie Press	...	Zoë
Danny Dyer	...	Dave
Jodie Mitchell	...	Kelly
Molly Griffiths	...	Sinead
Kaitlyn Raynor	...	Leanne
Danny Daley	...	Kai
Lizzie Colbert	...	Bullet-head
Ashley Routledge	...	Brown-haired girl
Tabitha Crewe	...	Barmaid

Storyline

Zoë is a single mother who lives with her four children in Dartford. She is poor and can't afford to buy food. One day her ex-boyfriend drives by and asks her to go on a date with him. Scared that he doesn't want to go out with her, she lies and tells him that she is just babysitting the kids. This will be her first date in years.

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Plot Keywords:

cell phone | date | single mother | child | reference to mcdonald's | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ampiainen

Filming Locations:

Dartford, Kent, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

FilmFour, UK Film Council, Cowboy Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

26 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sound recordist Neil Robert Herd plays guitar and sings in alt-bluegrass band The Coal Porters.

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Connections

Featured in The 77th Annual Academy Awards (2005)

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Soundtracks

5, 6, 7, 8
Written by Barry Upton and Steve Crosby
Published by Cordella Music Ltd/Zomba Music Publishers Ltd/All Boys Music Ltd
Performed by Steps
Courtesy of Jive

User Reviews

If you are looking for a short film with emotional impact, look no further

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.