Adaptations from stage to screen aren’t always as impressive as Guillem Morales’The Wasp. Even with A-list actors, movies like 2014’s Miss Julie can’t shake stageplay habits that land awkwardly in Hollywood. The Wasp dodges any such over-projections or one-setting drabness, relying on a marvelously diabolical story that chameleons through scenes. Writer Morgan Lloyd Malcolm adapts her acclaimed West End play without fumbling the narrative’s barbed themes, and like My Chemical Romance, Morales says thank you for the venom.

What Is ‘The Wasp’ About?

Naomie Harris stars as Heather, a well-off housewife who’s stuck in a neglectful, emotionally abusive relationship. On a whim, she contacts a long-ago friend and once classmate, Carla (Natalie Dormer). Heather’s endured another verbal scolding from her manipulative husband, Simon (Dominic Allburn), and she’s had enough. A pregnant Carla meets a visibly shaken Heather for high-class tea right before reporting to her grocery cashier’s job, where they discuss a possible partnership — a trade of money, an unbelievable request, and a payday Carla cannot fathom.

The Wasp is a showcase for Harris and Dormer, portraying adults fated for a reunion after tumultuous childhoods and lingering traumas. Heather is the spurned lover who catches Simon cheating and recalls her former bestie’s perceived heartlessness, thinking she can be helpful. Carla is a lower-class mother struggling with every aspect of her repressive life, sporting a hardened exterior as a circumstantial justification. Most of their curious catchups, schoolyard rehashing, and prickly tension occur in Heather’s suburban residence, juxtaposed against pastel decor and comfy sofas. Heather’s hospitality feels like a trap, while Carla’s snooping is like an intrusion — or, that’s at least what Malcolm and Morales want you to assume.

An avalanche of treachery cracks characters wide open, addressing both women’s metaphorical scars. Malcolm’s screenplay is about more than a jealous partner wanting to even the score with her misogynist worse half. As dominance shifts between Carla and Heather, flashbacks reveal how coming-of-age bullying leaves lasting impressions. This notion of kids being kids is placed under a blinding spotlight that exposes damage carried decades later, whether revenge soothes or rots wounds further. Harris and Dormer are exquisite sparring partners as their moods fluctuate, while repressed memories throttle their performances into opposing gears — we, the audience, are locked on their every move. These are two actors at the top of their game, riding waves of suspense that crash over any momentary reprieve.

‘The Wasp’ Requires Going in With an Open Mind

Suspended belief will endear you to The Wasp. Reading too obsessively into Heather and Carla’s domestic scuffle won’t do the film any favors. Morales focuses on the symbolic illusions, especially recurring mentions of a “Tarantula Hawk Wasp.” Said insect hunts tarantulas, paralyzes them, and then lays their baby inside to eat its way out Xenomorph style — hence, The Wasp. Storytelling begs you to ponder who, in this scenario, is the Tarantula Hawk and who is the Tarantula. Heather’s novice abilities as a schemer and Carla’s betting into particular hands aren’t incredibly grounded, yet tonality doesn’t care. What thrives is the furnace that bellows within Heather and Carla’s desperation — Morales isn’t trying to convince you that any of this can happen.

Comparison points are a smorgasbord, from Nick Tomnay’s The Perfect Host to Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s Inside. Elements of dangerous romantic thrillers, kidnapping scenarios, and conversational teardowns reshape The Wasp like an amoeba. A thick haze of dread overtakes once Heather and Carla reach a point of no return, which hits like a sack of potatoes. Malcolm’s screenplay twists and turns with reckless appeal — we begin to crave the next bombshell.

There’s no escape once The Wasp stabs its proverbial stinger. Harris and Dormer are the best of frenemies in this sneakily stupendous character study, as relentless as it is mysterious. Morales might miscalculate how far we’ll let the story stretch past logic boundaries, but performances quickly charm us with magnetic fixations. Hiccups are easy to forgive, especially when leads spit poison-tipped lines like heavyweight punches. It’s a bit Hitchcockian, a bit Funny Games, and always sharpening its wits. The Wasp, shall I say, certainly earns its buzz.

The Wasp is now playing in theaters in the U.S. Click below for showtimes near you.

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