00:00David Johnson and Tom Blythe are locked up together in the prison drama, Wasteman.
00:04Johnson has been behind bars for 13 years for manslaughter,
00:07but he gets the chance of early release with good behaviour,
00:10which potentially means he can reconnect with his now teenage son.
00:14But Blythe is his new cellmate who starts literally setting up shop,
00:18which puts him against Alex Hassel, the dealer who controls the prison.
00:21Johnson is caught in the mirror of their power struggle, putting his freedom and his life in danger.
00:26Wasteman is the feature debut of director Cal McMahon, and this is a very strong first film,
00:31which is executive produced by Philip Barantini, the director of Boiling Point and Adolescence,
00:36which should give you a sense of how tense and ripped from the headlines it feels.
00:41Fittingly, it was going to be directed by the Safdie brothers at one point,
00:44but they chose to make uncut gems instead.
00:46Certainly Wasteman shows that the British prison system is being pushed to its absolute limits,
00:51and are overcrowded, understaffed, and barely able to keep control over the inmates,
00:56let alone the drones flying over in to drop in contraband.
00:59It's a powder keg, and that constant sense that a flashpoint of brutal nasty violence might erupt
01:04at any moment is why it's so stressful to watch, especially because it's so claustrophobic
01:09with a tight 4-3 framing that gets very close to the actors in continuous shots.
01:14The framing gets even tighter in a number of sequences and montages filmed on phone cameras,
01:19which is the biggest addition that Wasteman makes to the genre,
01:22with many of its most violent moments shot that way,
01:24like the opening attack on Johnson's previous cellmate,
01:27which makes them feel even more unsettlingly realistic and sadistic,
01:31as the prisoners gloat over their brutality.
01:34Wasteman joins a long tradition of British prison dramas,
01:36although it's closer to starred up than it is for the notorious scum,
01:40and there's a grim authenticity throughout,
01:42as the filmmakers work with the charity Switchback,
01:44and many of the supporting cast are former inmates.
01:47The two lead performances are also fantastic.
01:50I'm a big fan of David Johnson after his work in Alien Romulus and The Long Walk,
01:54and he continues to be excellent here,
01:56further showing why he's one of the most promising rising talents today.
01:59Playing an addict and former dealer on the cusp of redeeming his life if he can just stay out of
02:04trouble,
02:05Johnson's expressive eyes show so many emotions,
02:08from anguish, torment, discomfort, regret, to pure fear during the final act.
02:13But it's Tom Blythe who might be the revelation here, as he's unrecognisable from his roles in
02:18The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and People We Meet on Vacation.
02:22Blythe's inmate befriends Johnson's, but his favours are ways to manipulate,
02:26and he can turn violent suddenly when threatened, as he aspires to thrive behind bars,
02:31often menacingly singing Sinatra's The Good Life to himself.
02:35Wasteman's relatively straightforward story stops it from feeling more substantial
02:39after the adrenaline wears off, but it's certainly nerve-wracking while you're watching it
02:43and coming out of the cinema is more like walking free from your cell.
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