Wasp

Arnold has never been one to shy away from the realities of poverty and that clear-sighted view is in evidence here.

An outstandingly excellent piece of short-story telling, benefitting from the compression effect that can only be achieved by a shorter rather than a longer narrative.

This is quite a difficult short drama to watch without making judgements. Indeed, right from the start when "Zoë" (Natalie Press) drags her four kids round to a neighbour for a bit of a scrap, you wonder if maybe she's the best person to be looking after four young children. A quick tour of her kitchen demonstrates that she hasn't two pennies to rub together, but when she encounters her old friend "Dave" (Danny Dyer) who wants to meet for a drink and game of pool, she seems to find a fiver and decide that's her evening priority. The kids are left outside the pub whilst she has an half, then parked out of sight whilst she has a snog in his car. This is where the eponymous insect makes it's presence felt, there is some screaming, some chips and a drive. The question would have to be. If she lived next door would you empathise for her needing to be treated as a woman as well as a mother, or would you be onto social services to complain about neglect? "Zoë" clearly cares for her children, but at what point is it legitimate for her to care for herself too - even if that does mean they are very temporarily abandoned. The hand held camerawork gives this quite a potent degree of intimacy and it is quite a thought-provoker.

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