Use of Social Realism in Wasp

When Wasp opens, we are immediately hit by the frantic pacing of the film as Zoe goes to fight her neighbour. This gives us a look into the reality of the lives of Zoe and her family, that it is often this chaotic, and that they never know what could happen to them next. It also leaves the audience on edge as we consistently feel as if something bad could happen at any moment, giving us an intimate look into Zoe's mindset, as well as the constant anxiety of many working class single mothers. This frantic pace remains throughout the film and becomes even more effective and poignant in the second half where Zoe is in the pub and leaves the children outside. The feeling that something bad could happen at any moment is amplified as a genuine threat is posed against the children as they are unsupervised in a dangerous environment. It constantly cuts between Zoe inside the pub and the children outside, with less time between these cuts as the film progresses, this style of editing creates a feeling of dread and an impending threat that we do not yet know of. The editing and cinematography is also effective in rarely showing the family together, and instead only framing them apart, showing them as dysfunctional.