Film Review: 'Wasp'

It was meant to be a relaxing week-long getaway. Having been dating for a year, Olivier (Simon Haycock) and James (Hugo Bolton) were looking forward to spending some quality time together in Olivier's beautiful vacation home in scenic France. But their plans are altered by James' friend Caroline (Elly Condron) joining them for the week. Having recently gotten her heart broken by her boyfriend, James decides to let Caroline tag along to get her mind off the betrayal. Despite initial awkwardness, it would seem like the sudden change is working out, with Caroline getting along well with Olivier.

But as the week goes on, Olivier begins to realize Caroline might be taking too much of a shine to him. Even worse, he's not sure if he wants to dissuade her from making her advances. Soon, what was once a relaxing vacation becomes a tense affair as relationships are strained and identities are called into question.

Opening on a piercing cacophony of insect noises befitting its title, Wasp doesn't make the best first step auditorily. Mercifully, the subsequent audio--while containing some awkward dialogue--is nowhere near as grating. Mostly confined to Olivier's summer home, Wasp is a slow-boiling drama as we watch a fun getaway among friends morph into a mess of treachery and conflict. While it makes sense for this sort of dispute to be built up to, Wasp makes the mistake of overextending itself and building up to an uneventful climax. For all the charm it has, the film's static pacing and underwhelming conclusion leave that charm with a lot to compensate for.

That charm comes in the form of Wasp's cinematography and cast. Shot on location in France, director Philippe Audi-Dor and cinematographer Pablo Rojo definitely capture the luxurious appeal of Olivier's vacation home and the beautiful nature surrounding it. Audi-Dor juxtaposes that beauty against the increasingly ugly tension that develops among his characters, with the lack of supporting characters/extras adding to the isolated feel of the house. With no one else around to lighten the mood, these three pseudo-friends are left to wallow in their insecurities and suspicions until it they all come to a head. There's also a few neat hints of symbolism dropped throughout the film, the most interesting one being how Caroline's favorite book is Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. Given the novel's themes of amoral attraction and self-centeredness, it's an appropriate book for Caroline to be interested in.

But before all their characters' issues start cropping up, the three-person cast brings endearing likability to the group. The scenes where Olivier, James, and Caroline are having fun together allow the actors to show off how well they blend together. Elsewhere, each performer does a good job putting us into everyone's mindsets. Six years before he'd be playing a psycho psychiatrist in Lifetime's Obsessed With the Babysitter, Simon Haycock makes the often prickly Olivier as irresistibly dashing as Adrian Cartwright. Hugo Bolton does the same as the comparatively friendlier James while Elly Condron effectively handles Caroline's swings between "pitiably miserable woman" to "shameless temptress." Haycock and Bolton also share some adorable romantic chemistry, which might leave you grimacing as Olivier and James's relationship begins to turn sour over the course of the story.

SPOILER ALERT By the end of the movie, everyone has a few unsavory deeds under their belt, with Wasp leaving a bunch of unanswered questions in its wake. Did Olivier and Caroline have sex or not? Is Olivier "100% gay" or is Caroline right about him being in denial of his attraction to her? Were Olivier's early interactions with Caroline flirtatious? And most importantly: how are things going to be between the trio (romantically or otherwise) after all that's happened? Spoilers Over The main problem with Wasp is that all this tension and drama is stretched way too thin to make for consistent entertainment. And even worse, all the growing tension built up throughout the film doesn't get a proper climax. Instead of a big bang, the final act ends on a mild pop. It's an enjoyable scene, but mostly because the mundane meandering that precedes it makes it so. It still ends as quickly as it started and is soon after followed by end credits. Though at least we get to see the film's least likable character get a well-earned smack to the face as karmic punishment.

The pacing isn't terrible enough to make Wasp a painful film to sit through and the actors all do their part to keep things mildly interesting. But for a movie all about relationships being torn apart by lies and secrets, it sure takes its sweet time getting to the love drama. While only a 72-minute film, it feels longer with how much time is spent on Olivier and company just hanging out while their animosities gradually brew on the back burner. The lovely scenery and talented cast should be able to keep hold of your attention, as should the generous helping of eye candy for those with a taste for it (Haycock and Bolton spend about half the movie shirtless and/or wearing tight swim shorts). But be prepared to have it tested by sedate plotting that leads into a lifeless finale.

Score: 5 out of 10 crappy old French CDs.