The Trailer For The Darkest Movie Of The Year Only Teases Why You Have To See It

I can guarantee, you've never seen Naomie Harris and Natalie Dormer quite like this. Last month's Tribeca Film Festival here in New York gave attendees a unique opportunity to get in on the ground floor for a number of the best and most fascinating non-franchise movies of the year (we even rounded them up for you all in on place here because, as the /Film motto that I just made up goes, We Care™). Of all the standouts, however, "The Wasp" was one that managed to crawl under our skin and bury itself down deep as one heck of a dark, disturbing, and unforgettable experience. Playing out almost like a stage play — which was not a coincidence, given that it's adapting Morgan Lloyd Malcom's play of the same name — the plot follows estranged childhood friends Heather (Harris) and Carla (Dormer), who reconnect as adults under awfully inauspicious circumstances: a good ol' fashioned murder for hire.

This afternoon, Shout! Studios and XYZ Films released the first official trailer for "The Wasp" and, while marketing can sometimes be hit or miss for smaller movies like this, the frenetically-paced footage (and that constant buzzing in the background) accurately distills the tension and unsettling sense of atmosphere that director Guillem Morales brings to the film into one spoiler-free tease. For those of us who hate bees, wasps, spiders, and other stinging things with a passion, I'd recommend bracing yourself now. For those of us who tend to enjoy psychological thrillers that never flinch away from the inherent darkness within us all, well, go on and check the trailer out at the link above!

As straightforward as the premise might seem, let's just say that this trailer gives absolutely nothing away about "The Wasp." It's obvious right from the jump that both Natalie Dormer and Naomie Harris are operating on a level that's even more impressive than their previous work, bringing out the best (worst?) in each other to convincingly portray two individuals who can barely even stand being in one another's presence anymore ... but who can't escape each other, either. Heather is a put-upon housewife married to a wealthy man she's grown to loathe (Dominic Allburn) until, one day, she decides she's had enough. When she reconnects with her old classmate Carla, now pregnant and struggling to make ends meet, the beginnings of a plan clicks into place that could benefit both of them at the same time. To say anything more than that would ruin a whole host of shocking surprises, so I'll just let /Film's Michael Boyle take it away in his review, where he (very accurately) stated:

The pacing never lets up, the tension never dies down, and its two leads are always fully convincing in their roles. "The Wasp" is a movie all about lingering rage and regret, about the festering, often-justified resentment that seemingly happy people can carry with them all their lives. It's disturbing and uncomfortable, but it's certainly never boring. At the very least, "The Wasp" will stick with you long after the credits roll.

Put that together with what certainly feels like Harris' and Dormer's best performances ever and I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to put this thriller on your radar. Mark your calendars for August 30, 2024, when "The Wasp" buzzes into theaters.