Wasteman Movie Ending Explained And Full Story: Does Taylor Save His Son? 

The worst thing about prisons isn’t dementors, no matter how much Prison Mike tries to convince you otherwise. Prison is suffocating, oppressive, dehumanising, and desolate. Cal McMau’s “Wasteman” captures the essence of a prison beautifully, and for somebody who’s directing their first film, he’s knocked it out of the park with this one. McMau’s choice to shoot some scenes through a cellphone helps the audience to get more of an immersive experience, and you could pretty much feel the claustrophobia through the screen. I can’t help but laud the acting performances as well, especially the headliners, David Jonsson and Tom Blyth. Having seen Blyth in “Bull Run,” it took me a good amount of time to realise that this testosterone fuelled angry macho prisoner is the same guy who was killing it in Wall Street not too long ago, and you have to stop and applaud his acting range. Jonsson brings his wallflower energy to the table, he might be heavily reliant on drugs to keep going, but you see that he’s redeemable despite how terrible his life has been. Overall, “Wasteman” is easily one of the better dramas of this year, and if you’re finished watching it, here’s where I answer any questions you might have about the film. 

Spoilers Ahead

What happens in the film?

Taylor is a smackhead who’s been behind bars for over a decade, and we see the top dogs of the prison, Gaz and Paul, intimidating Taylor and another prisoner. They apparently had their drugs stolen, and when Taylor snitches on the other prisoner, Paul and his gang brutally beat him up, before breaking a TV on his head. So by the first five minutes of the film, you know that Gaz and Paul don’t mess around, and they keep a tight leash on everybody. Paul is the brains, and Gaz is the brawn, but both of them are buddies and they know damn well that they can’t ever beef with each other. Taylor is called up to their cell sometimes to give them haircuts, and in exchange, Paul slips him a couple of pills every time. When Taylor gets a new roommate named Dee, his life changes pretty rapidly. Dee is a hypermasculine convict who comes with his huge luggage, from energy drinks, candy bars, and a television and gaming console, Dee makes the cell a bachelor pad in no time. The guy even has a working cellphone at his disposal, and now he has the ambition of becoming the top dog around here. Meanwhile, Taylor is informed that he might get early parole if he keeps being on his best behavior, and the state is willing to give him a second chance in life.

Why does Taylor punch Dee?

Just like he bossed the prison in Aylesbury, Dee plans to get this prison under his control in no time. He is rough and aggressive to people who belong to the rival gang, but he’s sweet to Taylor, from offering him a good toothpaste to letting him borrow his phone to look for his kid. Taylor has a young teenager out there, but his mother wouldn’t let Taylor contact him. So he borrows Dee’s phone and finds his boy in social media, and it’s Dee who encourages Taylor to text his son. They talk, and when Taylor tells him that he’s going to be out soon, his son isn’t rejecting the idea of seeing his father again, which is great news, under the circumstances. However, when Taylor finds a drug drop-off drone hovering outside his cell, he has no option but to take the package. Dee is ecstatic, and Taylor is spooked out of his mind. Taylor claims that he wants no part in all this, but who are we kidding, when Dee starts selling to the rest of the wing, it’s a party town in their cell. Dee manages to get an airfryer in as well, and they’re now living the good life, and for a few days, it stops being a suffocating prison. But Paul senses something is wrong, and the fact they haven’t sold one pill can only mean one thing, they’ve got a rival. Gaz and Paul ambush Dee and Taylor, and they beat Dee as hard as they could. When Dee is unable to move a limb, Gaz dumps cereal on him, and records the whole thing to humiliate and crush him, effectively ruining his top dog ambition. They even force Taylor to punch his new mate several times, and it only stops after Taylor tells them where Dee hides the drugs. 

How does Dee take revenge?

As Dee starts to recover, Taylor starts to grow more and more anxious about him being back. The man used his connections to gift his kid shoes before Taylor had to punch him, so you can sense how valid Taylor’s fears are. It’s a straight up betrayal, and there’s no way to justify it to someone like Dee. So when Dee does come back, he beats up Taylor thoroughly, without any mercy. Now Taylor has to make it up to Dee, while dealing with his parole officer, who wants to place him in a rehab after he is free. Dee makes Taylor smuggle a stash of drugs, knowing fully well that Gaz and Paul will try and stop him. Just as they start bullying Taylor, Dee unleashes himself upon the big boys, beating them left, right, and center. After they’re done, Dee stands in the center of the prison wing, signing and roaring, claiming his territory. When the guards come to hold them back, Dee and his few mates neutralize them in no time, and it takes a special unit to finally get the situation under control. Very few moments embody the essence of cinema quite like this one. Amid the chaos, prisoners kicking shields, others urinating the scene from above, the soundscape and atmosphere pull you into something resembling a battlefield. 

How Does Taylor Save His Son? 

The authorities enforce a complete lockdown after the riots, with only an hour of recreational time allotted every day. Meanwhile, Gaz and Paul put a bounty on Dee’s head, ten grand for whoever can kill him and bring his head to them. Dee starts growing paranoid, and he knows he has to strike fast in order to live. He manipulates Taylor into stealing a knife from the kitchen, which is not as easy as it sounds. The poor guy almost passes out from the anxiety of doing it, and even though one of the prisoners sees him steal, it’s all good. But just bringing the knife wasn’t enough, as Dee now wants Taylor to kill them. He’s due to give the bad boys a haircut the next day, and Dee tells Taylor that he must do it, if not for himself, then for his son’s life. Taylor is already trying to stay off drugs which is a huge deal for a person like him, and he could’ve done without this added pressure of offing two of the most dangerous men in the facility. But Taylor wasn’t going to go down without a fight either, and when he goes to Paul and Gaz, he refuses to even try and kill them. Surprisingly enough, when Gaz gets to know that Taylor has a son waiting for him outside, he’s kind to him, and both the men wish Taylor luck for his life outside. So even Taylor sees that he did the right thing by not going against them. On the other side of the wing, Dee is growing more and more restless. Taylor made him some lunch before leaving, and when Dee starts throwing up uncontrollably, he realizes that the food was spiked. Taylor comes back to find Dee half dead already, and he reveals that he put every last pinch of drugs he had into the food. Consumed by rage, Dee channels the last of his strength into another brutal assault on Taylor. I’m sure the punches didn’t hurt Taylor more than the time Dee puked on his face did, but Dee eventually slows down, and Taylor can breathe again. After cleaning his face, Taylor sits down, offers Dee a puff of the joint he had, and waits for him to die. After that, Taylor cleans the whole cell up, making sure everything looks normal, and then puts Dee on his bed, before he can finally scream for help. All of it looks like Dee overdosed on drugs, and in the end, Taylor is free again, as one of the prisoners records him from their cellphone. Despite not being built to take a life, Taylor ultimately manages to kill his maniac cellmate and also save his son.

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