Fish Tank

Fish Tank is a well acted drama but one that had too many flaws to be a great film. The acting is very good especially from Katie Jarvis as the 15 year old Mia. For a debut performance it really is excellent. Michael Fassbender is as good as always as her mom's somewhat seedy lover. Although this is a well acted film, the plot doesn't really go anywhere and there where plenty of points where it dragged. The film could and maybe should have been cut to a more manageable 90 minutes as the plot didn't have enough to fill out 2 hours. This is also a criticism I had watching director Andrea Arnold's Red Road recently. Sometimes less is more. I was left with the feeling that although I quite enjoyed it, I was also somewhat disappointed with it.

Angry, unpredictable teenager Mia storms through this movie, carrying the awed audience with her. Katie Jarvis, in her first role as Mia, has a natural charisma and is able to carry this intriguing, subtle and complex film seemingly effortlessly. Fassbender, as always, is mesmerising and perfect as the kind and mysterious new boyfriend of Mia's mother. This is a small film that packs a big emotional punch and will leave you wanting to watch it again. The little sound and visual touches and the atmosphere in every single scene = nothing short of exceptional.

Viewed through a streaming service in 4:3 Aspect Ratio. This was a very real portrayal and takes you right in to the era, conditions , lifestyles and times. Served 'straight up' with very solid performances. My ratings are generally down to enjoyment, personal tastes and preferences rather than anything else.

It has it's moments but to get a BAFTA award is puzzling. Seen a few independent films over the decade when Fish Tank was released and they are superior. Not any of them got big awards. The the acting was off except for fassbender. There was no genuine emotion to justify a film like this. My rating 5.5/10.

There is so much in this movie that I wouldn't expect to work, but it actually does. The central protagonist, Mia, is frequently unsympathetic, but in contrast to a film like Can You Ever Forgive Me?, it is much easier to get invested in her and care about what happens to her. The environment Mia is raised in establishes an understanding for her actions, through environmental storytelling. A film about the struggles of poverty focused on a teenager and her wanderings doesn't sound like an engaging experience to me, but the strong performances, interesting plot, and creative metaphorical elements make this film a fairly strong success. The result is a depressing but ultimately enlightening window into the effects of growing up in poverty, told through a narrow personal lens.

Fish Tank is a successful enough film, but mostly when it concentrates on the relationship between Jarvis and Fassbender. Their feelings literally grow in front of our eyes and so the later developments are easy to understand. It hits the right amount of awkwardness and sweetness to make it bearable. When the film is doing other stuff it is mostly a dull look at disgusting people. Towards the end it offers a few inevitable twists, and one needless and very obvious twist. It then makes a big mistake by going all thrillery. Luckily it pulls itself back from the edge, much like the main character, but it's a cheap way to offer a conclusion. Arnold manages to make even the crumbiest places look appealing with some top- notch photography.

The working class is since rather long mostly horror movie stuff. In the West, it's the British who take the effort of filming another kind of story. And it's not just about class struggle, even if that's a part of it. These movies are made, because working class people in general seem much more interesting. This is about the 15-year-old living in a boring misery, which probably will lead to same life as her mother has, including vulgar lovers and being just as vulgar herself. But for a while the mother happens to make an exception, which will show the daughter another possibility. But betrayal comes into it. The great thing about this is however the way hope is shown. Not just as a dream-piece, but as a class reality.