Wasp (Andrea Arnold, 2005)

Wasp (Andrea Arnold, 2005) is a 26 minute short film that follows a mother who attempts to pretend that her four children do not belong to her so that she can go on a date with an old friend. However, she already struggles immensely to provide for them, and pulling off this stunt causes more disaster for her family than she expects to risk with this act.

The film makes use of its long time frame for a short film to establish its characters, urban setting and narrative. The mise-en-scene immediately establishes where the film takes place and we are introduced to the main character, the mother, through her first actions of fighting other people in front of her children. The main conflict is quickly set up after this event, which was done to establish the main character, and the conflict establishes the lie the mother must uphold while trying to look after her children. The plot leads up to a climax, which is when her children are put in harm’s way by her neglect, which she must abandon her date for to protect them. The plot slowly builds up to this, and the narrative follows the family only throughout this day, and does not use any unique techniques to tell the story.

One thing that stuck with me was the cinematography, as the film is shot entirely with handheld cameras, which make it feel almost like an observational documentary. This makes the film feel real, raw, like its happening right in front of us, immersing the audience. The frame composition is also realistic and cramped at times, with large object obstructing the view, which impacts the audience by making them feel claustrophobic in the pub scene. The movements are also frantic and unpredictable at times, which makes it feel like the filmmaker is following the characters, documenting them. Parallel editing is used towards the end of the film as it cuts between the mum inside the pub and her kids outside. This and the natural lighting make the film feel real and unplanned, which sticks with me after watching it.