Wasteman – Review

Cert – 18, Run-time – 1 hour 30 minutes, Director – Cal McMau

Eligible for parole, Taylor (David Jonsson) just needs to keep his head down for a few more days, however the arrival of new cellmate Dee (Tom Blyth) upsets the prison hierarchy and brings trouble and threats Taylor’s way.

Wasteman could so easily fall into the trappings of low-budget British geezer flicks, based in the hard-edged walls of prison life. Yet, by focusing on quiet, somewhat reluctant yet still faintly rough-interiored inmate Taylor (David Jonsson) a character piece of someone just trying to keep their head down forms amongst the threats that surround him. A film looking at incarceration over rehabilitation. Where prison is a breeding ground for a growth in violent behaviour.

Taylor is told early on that due to overcrowding he’s one of a number of cases being considered for possible early release, he just needs to stay out of trouble for a few more days. He plans to do so with the hope of finally getting to see his 14-year-old son (Cole Martin), born just before he was sentenced. However, the arrival of new cellmate Dee (Tom Blyth) upsets the prison’s order when he instantly sets up his own set of drug deals and trades – rivalling the looming glare of Alex Hassell’s Paul who leads many of the deals and hits in the cold confines of the building.

The violence throughout is caught with unflinching brutality by feature debut director Cal McMau. Upfront and refusing to shy away from the rage and seeming habitual nature of the attacks, as if the only way to maintain order and status in both prison and the world, just the former further fuels and allows for it. Sometimes we see these moments through phone camera footage, we see them smuggled in and carried around the prison – alongside TVs, air fryers and many instances of drugs – adding to the realism with calls to recent Oscar-nominated documentary The Alabama Solution, although the framing and impact of both films is different.

Jonsson effectively shows the worry and hints of hope held in Taylor, yet gets across a believable streak that reminds us of how he’s survived in this place for so long. It’s a strong lead role that both compliments and occasionally rubs up against Blyth’s loud, brash newbie who appears to already be well-accustomed to the prison system; his eyes on maintaining as much of his life outside as he can. Through him, Hassell and Corin Silva’s Gaz much of the threat comes through. Taylor’s life, and almost any other inmate, feels consistently at risk, particularly tense with the days counting down to his release and opportunity to (hopefully) see his son again.

While unflinching the film produces plenty of swift, flinch-inducing moments through its hard look at the prison system and those held within it. One that doesn’t just find itself preoccupied with just looking at that and finds room for the characters who the themes are conveyed through. Connecting us to Taylor, thanks to a great, understated performance from Jonsson, and throwing us into the confines of the buildings ordered disorder.

A film looking at incarceration over rehabilitation, Wasteman weaves these ideas through the strongly-performed characters who create an unflinchingly brutal hierarchy of threat and disorder.