Fish Tank would be viewed in the prism of Broken Britain. A term used by the then Tory leader David Cameron.
After he became Prime Minister he thought the repair kit would be more austerity, benefit cuts and Brexit. Way to go Dave.
Fish Tank owes a debt to the French New Wave such as The 400 Blows and the British social realism movies like Kes.
Mia (Katie Jarvis) is a feral 15 year old living with her boozy single mother Joanne (Kierston Wareing) and foul mouthed younger sister Tyler. Mia has been expelled from school, she is volatile who constantly lashes out at people.
With no friends she spends her time practicing dance moves. It is a dead end life and she realises that when she sees a tied up horse in a gypsy camp. Mia wants to free the horse but is almost raped when some young men catch her.
Things change when her mother hitches up with Conor (Michael Fassbender). He is a security guard who beings some order into their chaotic lives. Conor is kind to Mia, he lends her his video camera so she can record her dance moves. However when Mia feels let down by Conor, she visits his family home.
The film changes gears with the introduction of Conor. He is a wage earner and kindly who behaves like a father figure to the family. It also raises hints of Conor being predatory or opportunistic. His kindliness means Conor can earn the trust of the children including a vulnerable teenager who yearns tenderness and love.
This is a raw slice of life drama from director Andrea Arnold which hints at a tragic outcome as Mia goes looking for revenge. However the film is too long and needed trimming slightly. Arnold won a best short film Oscar for Wasp which explored similar themes.
Both Jarvis and Wareing later found roles in the BBC soap opera Eastenders. Jarvis has a sharpness in Mia but as a non actress, I wonder if Mia in some ways was an extension of her own personality.
In 2019 Jarvis was stupidly shamed by a newspaper who exposed her as working as a security guard after leaving Eastenders. In 2020 Jarvis was arrested for racial assault after a fight in a pub.
Fassbender is very good as Conor. A man who made his name in independent features and ended up being forever speculated as the next James Bond. Even though by the time a vacancy arises, he would probably be too old for the role.
After he became Prime Minister he thought the repair kit would be more austerity, benefit cuts and Brexit. Way to go Dave.
Fish Tank owes a debt to the French New Wave such as The 400 Blows and the British social realism movies like Kes.
Mia (Katie Jarvis) is a feral 15 year old living with her boozy single mother Joanne (Kierston Wareing) and foul mouthed younger sister Tyler. Mia has been expelled from school, she is volatile who constantly lashes out at people.
With no friends she spends her time practicing dance moves. It is a dead end life and she realises that when she sees a tied up horse in a gypsy camp. Mia wants to free the horse but is almost raped when some young men catch her.
Things change when her mother hitches up with Conor (Michael Fassbender). He is a security guard who beings some order into their chaotic lives. Conor is kind to Mia, he lends her his video camera so she can record her dance moves. However when Mia feels let down by Conor, she visits his family home.
The film changes gears with the introduction of Conor. He is a wage earner and kindly who behaves like a father figure to the family. It also raises hints of Conor being predatory or opportunistic. His kindliness means Conor can earn the trust of the children including a vulnerable teenager who yearns tenderness and love.
This is a raw slice of life drama from director Andrea Arnold which hints at a tragic outcome as Mia goes looking for revenge. However the film is too long and needed trimming slightly. Arnold won a best short film Oscar for Wasp which explored similar themes.
Both Jarvis and Wareing later found roles in the BBC soap opera Eastenders. Jarvis has a sharpness in Mia but as a non actress, I wonder if Mia in some ways was an extension of her own personality.
In 2019 Jarvis was stupidly shamed by a newspaper who exposed her as working as a security guard after leaving Eastenders. In 2020 Jarvis was arrested for racial assault after a fight in a pub.
Fassbender is very good as Conor. A man who made his name in independent features and ended up being forever speculated as the next James Bond. Even though by the time a vacancy arises, he would probably be too old for the role.