"Soft" and "Wasp"

"Soft" and "Wasp"

"Soft" is a short film that tackles with themes of bullying, fear and feeling overpowered. It contains both a father and a son who are assaulted by the same group of people. This leads to a small rift between the father and the son. "Wasp" also creates tension between child and parent as the mother often neglects her children to go out and have a good time.

Both films use the characters clothing and environment to tell the audience more about them. For example, it is clear that the father in "Soft" works and is quite sensible from the way that he and his house looks whereas the gang members are shown on the street and in a dirty alley wearing tracksuits and chains. This contrast shows a difference in lifestyle which addresses their differences in behaviour and also their differences in morals. This is also the case with "Wasp" as the mother and children are shown to be poor not from the clothes they wear but from the clothes that the lack. This is seen as the children are barefoot and the baby does not have any trousers or even a nappy on. We later find out that this is the case when we are introduced to her flat. 

The music- or lack of it- in "Soft" makes it seem more real to the audience as you can here every punch and verbal insult that is shown. It also allows you to fully focus on the dilemma that the characters are going through. In "Wasp" however music plays a more important role and slightly reflects the scene. In the flat the only sound heard is the little girl playing with the guitar toy. The fact that this is by itself could be the directors way of showing that she feels alone, isolated and distant from her mother. Also, the main song that plays is 'Be My Girl'. This reflects what the mother seems to want in life- for somebody to ask her to 'be my girl'. It is often played when she is with Dave, both at the pub and in the car at the end of the film.

The parents characters are both hypocritical in the sense that they both do the opposite of what they tell someone else. The mother from "Wasp" seems like she is in denial about being a bad mother and is very shaky about when somebody questions her parenting. Although it is said that she often leaves her children alone, she gets very angry when questioned about it and still continues to leave her children outside a pub for hours while she meets someone. The father in "Soft" also is portrayed as a hypocrite as he criticises his son for not standing up for himself yet he always backed down when confronted.

Another thing that these two films have is that the title of the film is the catalyst for what makes the characters change at the end of the film. In "Wasp" this is a physical thing-the wasp. The idea of her child being stung by a wasp finally causes her to want to protect her children which was her main flaw throughout. "Soft" however is not a physical thing but it is a theme or a personality trait. The sons's  realisation that is father is 'soft' even when he was scolded for not standing up for himself by his father leaves the son to feel angered/disappointed by his dad and cause him to lock his father out.

Both films mainly tackle distance between parent and children, whether physically or emotionally. However one film has distance then coming together whilst the other has it the other way around.