Wasteman
| Wasteman | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Cal McMau |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Lorenzo Levrini |
| Edited by | James A. Demetriou |
| Music by | Forest Swords |
Production company | Agile Films |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Wasteman is a 2025 British prison film directed by Cal McMau from a screenplay by Hunter Andrews and Eoin Doran. The film stars David Jonsson and Tom Blyth.
Wasteman premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2025, and was released in the United Kingdom by Lionsgate on 20 February 2026.
Plot
Taylor, a prison cook who has been incarcerated for 13 years, is informed he is eligible for early release on the basis he maintains good behaviour. Taylor regularly does haircuts for fellow prisoners Gaz and Paul, from whom he buys drugs to fuel his addiction. He also tries to get in contact with his now 14-year-old son Adam.
While struggling to fill out the form for his release, Taylor is assigned a new cellmate, Dee, who starts selling drugs not long after his arrival, taking business away from Gaz and Paul. Taylor and Dee start to form a friendship, with Taylor opening up about how he accidentally killed a teenager by selling him drugs to provide for Adam, which landed him in prison with a manslaughter charge. Dee lets Taylor use his phone to contact Adam, also sending Adam a pair of shoes via his friend on the outside as a present from Taylor. Frustrated with how Dee has taken away their control over the prison's drug trade, Gaz and Paul violently attack and beat him unconscious while Taylor stands back helpless. Afterwards, the pair force Taylor to punch Dee, filming it to share around the prison. Dee is taken to the hospital to recover.
Upon Dee’s return, he attacks Taylor for not backing him up. Taylor is forced to become a mule for Dee, collecting drug drops from the courtyard. While running a drop over to Dee, Taylor is stopped by Gaz and his associates. Their attempts to get Taylor to give them the drugs are stopped when Dee attacks them all, inciting a riot among the prisoners. Tensions further escalate when Gaz and Paul post a video inciting other prisoners to kill Dee in exchange for money. At the same time, Taylor starts to go cold turkey on the drugs.
After forcing Taylor to steal a knife from the kitchen, Dee blackmails Taylor into going to kill Gaz and Paul with it, claiming that Dee will get his friends on the outside to kill Adam if Taylor does not go through with it. A day before Taylor is set to be released, he cooks Dee a meal before leaving to kill Gaz and Paul mid-haircut. Taylor, however, does not go through with it, returning to his cell to find Dee having overdosed on the drugs he had spiked his food with. Dee realises what has happened, and after a brief fight, he slumps over, exhausted. Taylor shares his joint with Dee before Dee dies. The next morning Taylor sets Dee up in his bed to make it look as if Dee overdosed in the night. Later that day, Taylor is released, and a prisoner films him leaving the grounds.
Cast
- David Jonsson as Taylor
- Tom Blyth as Dee
- Corin Silva as Gaz
- Alex Hassell as Paul
- Paul Hilton as Browning
- Neil Linpow as Robby
- Paul Hilton as Browning
- Layton Blakeas Maxi
- Jack Barker as Cookout Prisoner
- Fred Muthui as Prisoner in Cell
Production
The film is directed by Cal McMau and written by Hunter Andrews and Eoin Doran. It is produced by Bankside Films and produced by Sophia Gibber and Myles Payne of Agile Films with Philip Barantini and Samantha Beddoe’s It’s All Made Up Productions and Hoopsa Films.[2]
It was to be distributed by A24.
The film was planned to be directed by the Safdie brothers, but the Safdies decided to make Uncut Gems instead.[3]
The cast is led by David Jonsson and Tom Blyth and also includes Alex Hassell, Corin Silva and Neil Linpow.[4][5]
Principal photography took place in London and Somerset in the summer of 2024.[6][7] Filming locations included Shepton Mallet Prison.[8]
Cinematography was by Lorenzo Levrini.[9]
The film's original score is composed and produced by British artist Matthew Barnes, known as Forest Swords.[10]
Release
The film premiered in the Centrepiece programme at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.[11] The film was released in the United Kingdom on 20 February 2026.[12]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 18 critics' reviews are positive.[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[14]
The Upcoming wrote, "In an immersive journey, Wasteman escalates from gritty prison drama to pulse-pounding suspense, powered by its remarkable co-leads firing on all cylinders."[15]
Critics at RogerEbert.com said, "there’s a spark that the film gains from these two young performers that's never extinguished."[16]
Accolades
| Award / Festival | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Independent Film Awards | 30 November 2025 | Best Lead Performance | David Jonsson | Nominated | [17] |
| Best Supporting Performance | Tom Blyth | Nominated | |||
| Best Music Supervision | Phil Canning | Nominated | |||
| Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) | Cal McMau | Won | |||
| Best Debut Screenwriter | Hunter Andrews and Eoin Doran | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Wasteman (18)". BBFC. September 5, 2025. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (May 10, 2024). "Bankside launching David Jonsson, Tom Blyth prison thriller 'Wasteman' in Cannes; Lionsgate takes UK & Ireland (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Mistlin, Sasha (February 15, 2026). "'Every role I do, I'm going to be a Black man first': David Jonsson on winning Baftas, rebooting Alien and leaving TV's hottest show". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
- ^ Tabbara, Mona (November 5, 2024). "Bankside Films reveals first look at 'Wasteman' starring David Jonsson, Tom Blyth (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ^ Raven, Elina (May 11, 2024). "David Jonsson and Tom Blyth Set to Star in Cal McMau's Prison Thriller 'Wasteman'". Maxblizz.com. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Calnan, Ellie (July 18, 2024). "2024 film and high-end TV productions shooting in the UK and Ireland: latest updates". Screen Daily. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Calnan, Ellie (August 14, 2024). "2024 film and high-end TV productions shooting in the UK and Ireland: latest updates". Screen Daily. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ Linham, Laura (August 27, 2024). "Shepton Mallet Prison closes for major film production, exciting locals and visitors". Sheptonmallet.nub.news. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ Brown, Dwight (October 13, 2025). "Wasteman — 2025 TorontoInternational Film Festival". Dwight Brown Ink. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
- ^ https://www.tiff.net/films/wasteman
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 5, 2025). "TIFF Centrepiece Section Counts 55 Titles Including Pics Starring Shailene Woodley, Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Samara Weaving, Stephen Graham & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Billington, Alex (October 16, 2025). "First Look Teaser for 'Wasteman' Prison Movie Starring David Jonsson". First Showing. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ "Wasteman". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
- ^ "Wasteman". Metacritic. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Ford, Lily; Szalai, Georg (November 3, 2025). "British Independent Film Awards: 'My Father's Shadow' and 'Pillion' Lead Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 3, 2025.