Andrea Arnold’s Oscar-winning short-film, Wasp, still has the same affect on me since the first time I saw it in 2008. Seeing it again, the element of the film that captured my attention was the gritty realism of it. It has a documentary style that falls in line with the film verite tradition: the shaky camera, the blurriness, the crispness of the cinematography. After a few years, I have finally realized what the film reminded me of — MTV’s True Life series. Wasp gives a unaltered, unedited feel; as if what is happening before your eyes is really what’s happening.
The symbolism gives much meaning and depth to the film. The double entendre of the title referred to not only the insect, wasp, which is in the film, but also to the historical context of the word. especially in American history, WASP was an acronym for white, anglo-saxon, protestant, a term for those who were usually the wealthiest and socially dominant. However, we see a play on that term. The main character, Zoe, is a poor white mother living in a public housing area with four children that she can barely take care of. From her cursing to her basically neglecting her children, she is definitely not the best mother ever. However, the film does show how Zoe feels trapped and lonely. One of the earlier scenes depicts a wasp who is trapped behind a window and panically trying to escape. Zoe feels like that wasp; she wants to go out on dates, such as the one she has with Dave, and go out and have fun, but she has responsibility. However, Zoe finds out that she is not alone as she thought she was; Dave is turns out to be more of a gentleman than he appears at the beginning. From those two elements of the film, Wasp deserved the Oscar.
