The Wasp (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – Follows Heather and Carla, they will meet after having not spoken in years. Heather is about to present a very unexpected proposition that could change their lives forever.

My Take – Few are successful when it comes to correctly adapting plays into engaging onscreen narratives. Mainly as it is difficult to translate something that is so intimate on stage to work in a similar manner, especially when the necessary elements of a moving picture are brought in. But when they work, they truly transcendent.

Such is also the case of this first English-language feature film from Spanish director Guillem Morales (Julia’s Eyes), that is adapted from writer Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s material, and joins a long line of multi-layered yet contained thrillers that is chock-full of head-spinning twists and turns that leave you on edge until the very end.

It is one of those rare feature films that exudes its theater origin from the beginning and remains absolutely cinematic in every sense.

Sure, there are obvious influences, but the script is pretty tight, and the revealing of the layers to the story are surprising to say the least. Leaving its dialogue-driven narrative to become a showcase of acting prowess and a must-watch for fans of character-driven dramas and suspenseful storytelling.

The story follows Heather (Naomie Harris), a wealthy unhappy housewife, who is trapped in a loveless marriage with Simon (Dominic Allburn), and is struggling to conceive. Feeling lonely, trapped and desperate with nowhere to run, she ends up contacting Carla (Natalie Dormer), her very pregnant hot headed former school friend.

While Heather has done well in life, Carla has a gambler for a husband, 3 kids and struggles to make ends meet working at a supermarket checkout. Making her the ideal candidate for a quick pay day and a surprising proposition, that could change their lives forever.

From there on, the film goes to some fairly wild, chaotic places. There are twists and turns, flashbacks that reveal sordid pasts, and delicious tension that stems from bitterness and anger, distrust and fear. To call a thrilling roller-coaster ride would be an understatement. The film’s pacing doesn’t miss a beat, and just when you think the story would lose momentum director Morales finds new ways to explore and tease.

Here, Heather and Carla are truly an odd couple in the best ways and have funny spats about how they want to execute their plan together. Their playful ragging on each other’s ideas genuinely feels like two old friends reuniting and you’re sort of wrapped in the warmth of their dynamic, despite the grim circumstances.

Oddly enough, though, that’s how the film really gets you. By comforting you into this friendship reigniting before switching gears into something more sinister. The strength of the film comes from its constantly evolving narrative, which switches itself up just as soon as the audience thinks they understand the story’s true purpose and the characters’ actual intentions.

The story itself is an exploration of the contrasts that exist between Heather and Carla. They couldn’t be any more different now; Heather lives a very privileged life, is financially comfortable, and can get away with requesting a former friend to execute something dangerous. Carla, meanwhile, is struggling to make ends meet and occasionally does sex work to take care of her family.

Heather takes advantage of Carla’s situation, but that isn’t to say Carla doesn’t have her own secrets and issues that have affected Heather. Flashbacks that highlight the horrors that continually haunt Heather.

Yes, there are moments in the film that don’t always work, with some lines of dialogue feeling a little more on-the-nose and silly in the cinematic medium than they perhaps would’ve done on stage. But then in its final moments, the film ties together all the little details hinted at throughout to create a clean conclusion that has a lasting impact.

Performance wise, Naomie Harris is excellent throughout. Although she veers into over-the-top lunacy a little too often due to her more animated reactions, Harris becomes legitimately scary in the film’s final stretch.

Natalie Dormer is equally great, making you connect to Carla’s personality. She imbues Carla with a toughness that initially covers the vulnerability that hides behind her cold exterior. On the whole, ‘The Wasp’ is a very engaging psychological thriller that delivers intensity and twists throughout.