Andrea Arnold - Wasp
Wasp, a short film, was released as an extra to Arnold’s full feature film - ‘Fish Tank’. The short film depicts a single mother, Zoe, raising four children in a run down area of England. The audience is exposed to just a small snippet of her life. Throughout the film, the audience follows the journey of the mother and her children. Several cuts show the differences between the children and the mother, who all have to make some tough decisions in the short amount of time that the audience sees them for. Zoe has to choose whether to pursue a romantic relationship over looking over her children at times. This suggests her social life has been completely taken away from her. Several messages are portrayed in the film as we see Zoe and her children scavenge for food. The short film was a big success, winning The Sundance Short Film Prize in 2005 and Arnold an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.
Mise en scene is carefully depicted within this short film. Instantly, the audience can see that this is quite a rough neighbourhood. Shaky camerawork appears to be a metaphor and highlights the instability of the family. Using a handheld camera also puts the audience in a position where it is like they, themselves are a part of the family. The lighting is very dark and the only pop of colour within the scene comes from the outfits that the children are wearing. Another key aspect within the scene is the facial expressions that the children bare. The mother of the children doesn’t even go outside with any shoes on, highlighting the example she is giving to her children. 
Throughout the film, props and settings are used such as the pit bull and the traffic. It constantly shows threat for the young, vulnerable children, making the audience feel sympathetic for the children and question the mother’s responsibility for them. There are several cuts within this scene to give the audience an insight what sort of people and environment the family live in. 
Notably, a was appears throughout the film. The wasp could be identified as a metaphor for the struggling mother. We, the audience, first see the was when it is trying to escape out of the window. This could mirror how the mother is trying to escape her responsibilities of looking after her children as she later chooses her social life over her own children. Wasps are also known for being quite aggressive insects, mirroring the lead actress when she later lashes out at her kids. 
When the family is back at the apartment, the audience is exposed to their family life. The audience can see pictures that the children have drew are hung upon the wall, which then contrasts to a sticker containing swear words - something children of a young age probably should not be exposed to. Some other key prop later used is the mouldy bread and sugar packet. Zoe, the mother, starts to look for something to eat, only to discover that the bread is mouldy. This sums up her economical status as she has to revert to feeding the children sugar. At this point in the film, the camera continuously cuts from the children to Zoe to depict how Zoe seems more interested in the phone call that she is having. 
