After earning acclaim at TIFF and the 69th BFI London Film Festival, Cal McMau’s debut film WASTEMAN is already shaping up to be one of 2026’s most talked-about British dramas. Set within the claustrophobic walls of a UK prison, the film trades cinematic gloss for raw emotion, bringing a powerful sense of realism to every frame.
Starring David Jonsson as Taylor a man desperate to keep his head down and make parole — and Tom Blyth as Dee, a new cellmate whose arrival turns everything upside down, WASTEMAN explores loyalty, redemption, and the price of survival. What begins as an unlikely friendship slowly spirals into a tense battle of power, as Taylor finds himself torn between his dream of freedom and the pull of prison politics.
Equal parts brutal and emotional, WASTEMAN captures the weight of choices made under pressure — and the flickering hope that redemption might still exist, even behind bars.
🎬 WASTEMAN opens in UK cinemas February 20th, 2026.
