I just watched this in the Grand Lumiere theatre at Cannes FF, a brilliant experience and a fantastic film! What struck me immediately was the use of natural light in this film. It really had that feeling that you were there and there were none of the typical Hollywood looks to people and sets. It had a very British feel, very much in the vein of Loach's Kes.
having discovered the story behind Jarvis the female lead, it makes the whole performance more astonishing and remarkable. The angry teenager has never been done more convincingly in my opinion, even though my daughter can at times be a close second! There must be young hopefuls in drama schools around the country literally gutted that they have devoted their young lives and untold money to this art but been trounced by an absolute beginner in a role she was obviously made for, whether she knew it or not.
The environment was nasty, you could smell the urine in the corridors, feel the poverty amongst the residents and imagine the boredom of the children. One thing that did occur to me at the start of this film was that Mia wasn't great at dancing. I first thought that if this was a film about how dancing would save her, she would either need to get good quickly or it would be a serious fail.
The male lead, Connor (Fassbender) appears early on as another of Mia's mothers' 'pulls' from the local pub or club. The sexual tension is evident from the start but it doesn't stop Mia from rifling his wallet for money within minutes of meeting him! The mother is stereotypically perfect, the lush who drinks to excess yet tries in vain to preserve her looks with botox and yards of makeup and bleach. It's not clear what she does but suffice to say, not very much, particularly in the parenting department.
Finally we have Sophie, Mias sister. For me she was the comic relief, raising the film above total hopelessness and depression with her funny comments, observations and innocent (ish) take on things. It's hard to imagine the words were put in her mouth as they seem so natural. Whilst in Cannes watching this film it was evident that much of the dialogue went over the audiences head. When we heard the (obligatory staff) dog was called Tennants, we laughed out loud, but we laughed alone! The film just seemed to tick along effortlessly. The scenes with Connor and Mia where bursting with tension and the inevitable coupling just a matter of time. However there were times, for instance the spanking scene with Connor in the bedroom, where it seemed that Mia had experienced something similar and it had adversely affected her. It wasn't clear whether Connor represented an abusive father figure who she couldn't help but fall for or whether she was just a curious teenager, having seen him and her mother having sex through the door one night.
Very difficult to find fault with this film, even if you were looking. The performances were believable, the camera work although almost exclusively hand-held was not jarring and just helped convey the realness of the piece. Lens flares, exposure issues, focus etc, all leant to the genuine feel and put you right there. Even the ending rounded up the film perfectly and I'm glad she wasn't going to win any dancing competitions and get a job in the West End! Great achievement, surely the Palm D'or must belong to Andrea Arnold this year for a brilliantly portrayed glimpse of life as an East End teenager in London and for such a little amount of money! (£2m)
having discovered the story behind Jarvis the female lead, it makes the whole performance more astonishing and remarkable. The angry teenager has never been done more convincingly in my opinion, even though my daughter can at times be a close second! There must be young hopefuls in drama schools around the country literally gutted that they have devoted their young lives and untold money to this art but been trounced by an absolute beginner in a role she was obviously made for, whether she knew it or not.
The environment was nasty, you could smell the urine in the corridors, feel the poverty amongst the residents and imagine the boredom of the children. One thing that did occur to me at the start of this film was that Mia wasn't great at dancing. I first thought that if this was a film about how dancing would save her, she would either need to get good quickly or it would be a serious fail.
The male lead, Connor (Fassbender) appears early on as another of Mia's mothers' 'pulls' from the local pub or club. The sexual tension is evident from the start but it doesn't stop Mia from rifling his wallet for money within minutes of meeting him! The mother is stereotypically perfect, the lush who drinks to excess yet tries in vain to preserve her looks with botox and yards of makeup and bleach. It's not clear what she does but suffice to say, not very much, particularly in the parenting department.
Finally we have Sophie, Mias sister. For me she was the comic relief, raising the film above total hopelessness and depression with her funny comments, observations and innocent (ish) take on things. It's hard to imagine the words were put in her mouth as they seem so natural. Whilst in Cannes watching this film it was evident that much of the dialogue went over the audiences head. When we heard the (obligatory staff) dog was called Tennants, we laughed out loud, but we laughed alone! The film just seemed to tick along effortlessly. The scenes with Connor and Mia where bursting with tension and the inevitable coupling just a matter of time. However there were times, for instance the spanking scene with Connor in the bedroom, where it seemed that Mia had experienced something similar and it had adversely affected her. It wasn't clear whether Connor represented an abusive father figure who she couldn't help but fall for or whether she was just a curious teenager, having seen him and her mother having sex through the door one night.
Very difficult to find fault with this film, even if you were looking. The performances were believable, the camera work although almost exclusively hand-held was not jarring and just helped convey the realness of the piece. Lens flares, exposure issues, focus etc, all leant to the genuine feel and put you right there. Even the ending rounded up the film perfectly and I'm glad she wasn't going to win any dancing competitions and get a job in the West End! Great achievement, surely the Palm D'or must belong to Andrea Arnold this year for a brilliantly portrayed glimpse of life as an East End teenager in London and for such a little amount of money! (£2m)