Exploring Social Justice Through the Lens of 'Wasteman'
By Published Apr 16, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT Lewis is a Lead Writer for Screen Rant and has written for the site since 2026. This has allowed Lewis to explore a vast array of films, TV shows, books, comic books, and games from across the mainstream world of pop culture, reflecting his lifelong love of all media and typifying his experience in the world of fiction storytelling. To top this off, Lewis graduated from Northumbria University with First Class Honours in Film & TV Studies, truly exemplifying his experience in the medium. Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
is an effective prison thriller on the surface, with a heck of a lot to say underneath. tend to be the most common in this sub-genre, with true character-driven thrillers being more obscure. Enter , a tale of two inmates, one edging closer to early parole, the other trying to establish himself as the new top boy.
The former character, Taylor, is played by Alien: Romulus' David Jonsson, while the latter, Dee, is brought to life by The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' Tom Blyth. Admittedly, I may never watch Wasteman again, but that is not to say it wasn't something that stuck with me. In fact, it proved the opposite entirely.
The film builds a sickening atmosphere that renders it a tight, excellently crafted thriller. How difficult this makes the film to watch is partly why I may never want to revisit Wasteman from an entertainment perspective – though the important themes it conveys and how those impacted me mean I may eventually have to.
Wasteman Works Both As A Taut Prison Thriller & A Biting Piece Of Socio-Political Commentary
To start with, Wasteman is excellently crafted. The direction from Cal McMau is excellent here, as the film navigates the tight, claustrophobic cells and hallways of a UK prison. The way the film is shot, featuring a mix of handheld footage, drone cameras, and static shots with Dutch angles or obscured objects of interest, translates into a building sense of unease that emulates the anxiety of being trapped.
Adding to this are the expert performances of its cast and how they pull you into the characters' worlds, which are what ensure the film works as a compelling thriller. I expected this going in, but it's how it comments on deeper issues that, as a UK citizen myself, really made an impression.
For a film that clocks in at around only 90 minutes and doesn't tackle any one subject outright, Wasteman effortlessly makes you think about many issues. From the recent hiccups with the UK prison system that saw many inmates released early, to how these were insufficiently handled, Wasteman introduces several important aspects early on. Scenes involving every prison worker, from the parole officers to the guards themselves, comment on how underfunded and underserved a lot of government-owned branches of the UK are. This then stems off into other aspects of British social infrastructure that need work; do these underfunded prisons and how inmates are supported after release truly enable rehabilitation?
The existence of Dee, Gaz (Corin Silva), Paul (Alex Hassell), and other inmates who have game consoles, haircuts, businesses, drone deliveries, drug trades, and many other things that shouldn't be possible during rehabilitation indicates otherwise. The film goes further, though, as it never picks a side. These characters are taking what's put in front of them and running with it, leading to further themes that one line from Dee expertly (and tragically) sums up: "What else have I got?"
The idea that rehabilitation isn't possible – whether due to underfunding, a lack of true, empathetic help, or the rich-poor divide that pushes some of the latter social class into crime as a means to simply survive – raises the question whether these systems that are supposed to be implemented to help people are doing this effectively.
All of this deep thematic exploration is conveyed with almost every single scene, line, shot, or micro expression of this relatively short film. Wasteman never overstuffs by dedicating lengthy monologues or montages to each subject. Instead, much like how prison life delivers blow after blow in several ways, the movie delivers each piece of socio-political commentary with meaningful, impactful efficiency.
Two Brilliant Lead Performances Anchor Wasteman’s Story & Themes Excellently
Without Tom Blyth and as Wasteman's two lead characters, the film wouldn't work as well as it does. The larger themes are conveyed almost entirely through these excellent performances, in incredibly subtle, rarely explosive ways.
Jonsson depicts Taylor with so little presence that it's difficult not to empathize with him immediately. His story as a former drug dealer sentenced for manslaughter who just wants to get out of prison to connect with his estranged son is human and sympathetic, but Wasteman doesn't shy away from Taylor's issues with drug abuse either. Jonsson has been one of my favorite up-and-coming actors for a while now, and this performance shows why. He disappears into Taylor's mistakes, fears, and anxieties so that the latter becomes intensely real. As Wasteman's protagonist, Jonsson excels.
Blyth is excellent as someone embodying a role he feels he was forced into, also making Dee a victim of circumstance, like Taylor...
So too does Blyth, positioned as Wasteman's typical antagonist. However, his performance makes Dee someone to empathize with, too, despite his darker aspects. He is excellent as someone embodying a role he feels he was forced into, also making Dee a victim of circumstance, like Taylor is. This role should make Dee easy to write off as a "bad guy," but the ways Blyth depicts his vulnerabilities go against that. Two scenes stand out: the aforementioned explosion of "What else have I got?" when Taylor asks Dee why he lives the life he does; and the hidden emotional core revealed when Taylor asks who he has outside of prison.
During the latter scene, Dee turns his back to Taylor towards the camera, and Blyth allows the audience to see the tears welling in his eyes. The moment lasts mere seconds, but it hints at an unexplored depth to Dee that neither Taylor nor anyone else can understand. It's still there, though, and Blyth makes that heartbreakingly clear before settling back into his archetype.
Wasteman’s Morally Ambiguous Center Means It Never Picks A Side
Perhaps my favorite aspect of Wasteman is its moral ambiguity. Yes, Taylor is the film's protagonist, and Dee its antagonist. Regardless, I couldn't help but feel angry at something much broader than Dee, or feel like something else was to blame for Taylor's awful circumstances.
Taylor's addiction is continually raised as a problem, as is his naivety in putting those he loves or trusts in danger. Still, he is never blamed. Wasteman simply positions him as someone trying to do right, though oftentimes without the help or know-how to do so. He's the film's "hero," but his mistakes are depicted, too, making the film's realness come through.
Dee is a wannabe top boy – a violent, easily provoked, manipulative criminal with friends on the outside who are exactly the same. Despite that, Wasteman made me like Dee and how he helped Taylor at points. Blyth's performance is a factor, but it was the film's unwillingness to make Dee a straight-up "villain" that was mostly responsible.
Even secondary antagonists like Gaz and Paul have their moments of vulnerability, which depict them as simple people, not dangerous criminals who "deserve" to be in prison. Yes, these characters have done awful things, but the film's commentary on the ever-complex social reasons for their behavior are always there, so it is hard not to sympathize with them.
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Then there are the prison workers who are supposedly on the "morally right" side of things. Still, they are lax in their searches, intimidated by inmates, and have no real authority to enforce rehabilitation. This is a bad thing, but it's only because of government underfunding and poor prison systems that they are forced to cut corners as they do.
The point is, absolutely every character in Wasteman, regardless of the size of the role or whatever side of the moral line they should typically be placed on, is nuanced. These are not good guys or bad guys; they're just people, some of whom do worse things than others. Why? Wasteman doesn't give an outright answer.
Where the characters at its core are concerned, though, the film is unwilling to make any of them good, bad, heroes, or villains. They're people who may or may not deserve a better life...
Instead, it provides more questions as to why this could be the case. Could the rich-poor divide be lessened in the UK, so that low-income areas are rendered otherwise and crime isn't the only choice? Could the rehabilitation system be completely reformed to provide an equal chance for everyone to learn from their mistakes and have a better life? Could government funding for national systems be improved to allow workers to do their jobs properly and thus contribute more helpfully?
For these questions, Wasteman does have an unequivocal answer, one that makes the true "villain" of the film, the country's socio-political issues, loom tall. Where the characters at its core are concerned, though, the film is unwilling to make any of them good, bad, heroes, or villains. They're people who may or may not deserve a better life and the facilities, care, empathy, and funding needed to pursue that either way.
Thanks to this, Wasteman is one of the most impactful, meaningful, expertly crafted films I've seen this year, and it has given me a lot more to think about than I initially thought it would.
Cast
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Tom Blyth Dee
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