With a fresh start post-parole on the horizon for Taylor, a peaceful final few weeks in jail is upended by the arrival of Dee, a vicious new cellmate who jeopardises his chance of behaviour-based freedom. Two of our most promising newcomers, Tom Blyth and David Jonsson, star in this gritty prison-set thriller.
A blistering feature film debut, Cal McMau’s striking effort takes place on the precipice of law and order, peering into the prison system in this unflinching and powerful thriller. Soaked in an electric atmosphere constantly on the verge of snapping into full-blown pandemonium, McMau demonstrates such strong artistic tendencies, keeping tight control over the project despite the chaos it depicts; less skilled hands may cause the feature to topple over amongst the violence and mayhem, but McMau assured direction instals a strong through-line that keeps it concise and incisive at every turn. Supported by intentionally suffocating cinematography from Lorenzo Levrini, with tight framing that makes the cell walls feel even closer than they are, as well as a suitably throbbing score from Forest Swords, Wasteman is designed to wring every drop of tension out of it.
If Wasteman drops its guard anywhere it with its screenplay, specifically the familiarity of its framework; while there are a small handful of surprises peppered throughout, the general structure and characters, dilemmas and quandaries feel repetitive of genre flicks — you need only glance at a handful of similar films to know where this one is heading, diluting some of the suspense as it heads towards its finale. Nevertheless, the characters are well-developed with surprising complexity to them, particularly Jonsson's Taylor, and the relationship between Taylor and Dee is a fascinating tussle of power and submission.
It's a relief then that the two lead performers deliver such well-matched turns. Tom Blyth is ferocious as Dee, with a menacing energy that captures the volatility crucial in making this such tense viewing. His eyes hold so much of the fear that scares Taylor into submission, with Blyth radiating such intimidation that he becomes genuinely quite terrifying as the drama swells. Opposite him, Jonsson's work is more internalised but no less impressive, so much said through his physicality and facial expressions, delivering something surprisingly tender in such an unforgiving environment. Each performer enriches the other's work as they grapple for power and dominance, developing extraordinary, erratic chemistry that takes the film from good to great.
Wasteman is a lean, visceral and astonishingly assured directorial effort from newcomer Cal McMau, who balances the chaos with a concrete vision for the film. Thanks to the combined ferocity of his two leads' sharply-aligned performances, McMau's unflinching approach empower Wasteman to become one of the finest British debuts of the year, signalling the arrival of a handful of brand new, exciting talents.