Movie review
February 20, 2026 · 90 min · NC-17
Woke Score
Lower is better
Not currently streaming in United States
Review
Wasteman is a gritty British prison thriller about Taylor, a long-serving inmate nearing parole after years of addiction and quiet survival. His plans to rebuild his life and reconnect with his teenage son face sudden danger when a volatile new cellmate named Dee arrives and drags him into prison rivalries, drug conflicts, and a violent attack that forces a painful choice between loyalty and freedom. The story centers on addiction, fatherhood, survival instincts, and brutal prison power dynamics with no visible identity themes or activist messaging.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Wasteman.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent Black British lead actor opposite white co-lead in a contemporary UK prison setting. Diversity fits realistic demographics and serves the personal survival story without audience-visible identity signaling, quotas, or emphasis on race as a theme.
Woke political dialogue
No explicit activist speeches, social justice rhetoric, or dialogue pushing identity-based or political viewpoints appear in the story or marketing.
Identity-driven story themes
Core narrative follows addiction, father-son reconnection, prison loyalty conflicts, and personal moral choices. No centering of race, gender, sexuality, or identity politics as drivers of plot or character arcs.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Prison environment is portrayed as brutal and self-perpetuating in violence with limited rehabilitation. Depiction draws from research into real conditions but remains focused on individual characters and pragmatic realities rather than activist-style systemic attacks on Western institutions, masculinity, or cultural norms.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. This is an original screenplay with no established characters, source material, or historical figures altered for ideological or identity reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No documented right-leaning or anti-woke criticism accuses the film of advancing DEI messaging, identity politics, or left-wing propaganda. Reception has remained craft- and story-focused without political controversy.
Creator track record context
Main creatives have backgrounds in commercials, shorts, and independent film with no established history of activist, queer-centric, DEI-driven, or identity-politics projects. Director Cal McMau has voiced a deliberate preference for non-political, pragmatic approaches.
Production
