Fish Tank (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Life changes for 15 yr. old Mia (newcomer, Katie Jarvis) when her mom brings home a new boyfriend in 'Fish Tank' (written & directed by Andrea Arnold). Katie is a foul-mouthed rebel & a loner. She treats her mom, Joanne (Kierston Wareing), with bold-faced contempt & treats her precocious younger sister, Tyler (Rebecca Griffiths) in the same regard. Though, that's easy to do; they are deplorable human beings. She spends hour upon hour in an abandoned space upstairs practicing juvenile hip-hop routines copies from watching music videos. She's become obsessed with the idea of freeing a white horse from its chain-link rope & persists at doing this - even after being caught. She lives life aimlessly, doesn't attend school (hates it), & girls her age harass her to no end.
But life starts to change for Katie when mom brings home the boyfriend I mentioned above; Connor (Michael Fassbender, 300, Hunger, Inglourious Basterds). Mia finds herself attracted to the charming older man (early 30's), mostly because he actually shows some interest in her (as a person) & doesn't treat her like crap. He even encourages her 'dancing'! Problem? Well, it seems that Connor has ulterior motives in showing warmth to Mia. But Mia is not quick to realize that he may want to be something more than a friend/father figure. Joanee doesn't seem to notice, either, for that matter. Of course, for purposes of plot, Connor acts upon his urges. Mia is thrilled. But once that occurs, her already rocky life spirals out of control – big time. Melodrama & catharsis ensues.
I believe this film is titled 'Fish Tank' for 2 reasons. 1) We watch Mia & the people in her life as one would view trapped fish in a fish tank. We are voyeurs to their daily nothingness. And 2) Mia feels like she's in a fish tank; constantly trying to escape into bigger waters ... but she doesn't have the intelligence or resources to do so. 'Fish Tank' is a grimy film. But it works because it's so unflinchingly honest (portrayals, plot incident, ending, etc.). Mia is as real as it gets. Her role is not romanticized in the slightest. And when she does something completely & totally irrational towards the end; jeopardizing the life of an innocent human being ... we question every single good & (mostly) bad thing she's said/done. The situation gets away from her & she doesn't know how to get out of it. Because Mia is so hostile in this moment, it makes for a fascinating & terrifying sequence. It's been a while since I was so nervous about the outcome of a scene (in any movie).
Katie Jarvis was plucked by the director out of dingy housing projects to portray Mia. She'd never acted before. And barring a flash-in-the-pan situation, I think we'll see more of her in the near future. Her portrayal of this angry, vulnerable, & sexually-charged teen girl rings true every step of the way. And Michael Fassbender is given the task of making Connor sexy (in an eye-opening intro scene), caring, concerned, but clearly flawed, and even deranged (given events that occur late in the film). It's a tough balancing act to find believable humanity in Connor. And Fassbender nails it.
'Fish Tank' may not be an easy watch for most. The plot is more schematic than holding a traditional narrative. And It ends with 'some' hope; though, it's grim for most of the proceedings. But I found it to be a cool, emotional coming-of-age story that gives us a peak into England's poverty-stricken, the contradictions of adolescence, & offers a smattering of authentic performances. People may watch the film and say 'so what'. I've 'so-whatted' many films like this in the past; so I wouldn't begrudge them of it. But this one worked for me. I say, check it out.
But life starts to change for Katie when mom brings home the boyfriend I mentioned above; Connor (Michael Fassbender, 300, Hunger, Inglourious Basterds). Mia finds herself attracted to the charming older man (early 30's), mostly because he actually shows some interest in her (as a person) & doesn't treat her like crap. He even encourages her 'dancing'! Problem? Well, it seems that Connor has ulterior motives in showing warmth to Mia. But Mia is not quick to realize that he may want to be something more than a friend/father figure. Joanee doesn't seem to notice, either, for that matter. Of course, for purposes of plot, Connor acts upon his urges. Mia is thrilled. But once that occurs, her already rocky life spirals out of control – big time. Melodrama & catharsis ensues.
I believe this film is titled 'Fish Tank' for 2 reasons. 1) We watch Mia & the people in her life as one would view trapped fish in a fish tank. We are voyeurs to their daily nothingness. And 2) Mia feels like she's in a fish tank; constantly trying to escape into bigger waters ... but she doesn't have the intelligence or resources to do so. 'Fish Tank' is a grimy film. But it works because it's so unflinchingly honest (portrayals, plot incident, ending, etc.). Mia is as real as it gets. Her role is not romanticized in the slightest. And when she does something completely & totally irrational towards the end; jeopardizing the life of an innocent human being ... we question every single good & (mostly) bad thing she's said/done. The situation gets away from her & she doesn't know how to get out of it. Because Mia is so hostile in this moment, it makes for a fascinating & terrifying sequence. It's been a while since I was so nervous about the outcome of a scene (in any movie).
Katie Jarvis was plucked by the director out of dingy housing projects to portray Mia. She'd never acted before. And barring a flash-in-the-pan situation, I think we'll see more of her in the near future. Her portrayal of this angry, vulnerable, & sexually-charged teen girl rings true every step of the way. And Michael Fassbender is given the task of making Connor sexy (in an eye-opening intro scene), caring, concerned, but clearly flawed, and even deranged (given events that occur late in the film). It's a tough balancing act to find believable humanity in Connor. And Fassbender nails it.
'Fish Tank' may not be an easy watch for most. The plot is more schematic than holding a traditional narrative. And It ends with 'some' hope; though, it's grim for most of the proceedings. But I found it to be a cool, emotional coming-of-age story that gives us a peak into England's poverty-stricken, the contradictions of adolescence, & offers a smattering of authentic performances. People may watch the film and say 'so what'. I've 'so-whatted' many films like this in the past; so I wouldn't begrudge them of it. But this one worked for me. I say, check it out.