Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. It’s a cliché that, in the case of Guillem Morales’s new psychological thriller, is true to a deadly degree. The Wasp debuted at Tribeca Film Festival in June 2024, and I’m happy to report that this refreshingly simple revenge flick has a real bite to it.

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Based on a 2015 play, the movie stars Natalie Dormer and Naomie Harris as former childhood friends. The two women are now in their 30s, and despite similar upbringings appear to have followed very different paths in life. The subdued color schemes and mellow score are enough to lull you into a false sense of Lifetime made-for-TV-movie security. But what follows is far more impressive than anything you’d find on cable.

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Heather (Harris) seems to have come out on top in life; she lives in a beautiful home and is impeccably dressed. Carla (Dormer) apparently drew the short straw, with her working-class demeanor painfully apparent when paired with Heather’s understated opulence. Despite her wealth, there is one thing standing in the way of Heather’s happiness: her husband Simon (Dominic Allburn). Heather breaks years of noncommunication to ask Carla to help “take care” of her spouse – a request which for Carla comes out of left field after years apart. Eventually, the full scope of Heather’s sinister motivations fall into place like pieces of a sick, twisted puzzle.

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The movie worked well for me in large part because I went in knowing virtually nothing about it, therefore I won’t spoil the magic by revealing too much. One of the most unsettling yet oddly satisfying aspects of the story is how impossible it is to pick a protagonist. Morales captures the complexities of the human condition in a way that isn’t black and white, painting neither lead as a devil or Madonna. With twist after satisfying twist, The Wasp is one summer thriller you won’t want to miss.