Director: Andrea Arnold
Starring: Katie Jarvis, Michael Fassbender & Kierston Wareing
An impressive kitchen sink drama/coming of age film from Andrea Arnold featuring impressive performances by Jarvis and Fassbender with a gripping and emotional relationship developed between its two central characters.
With her feature film debut, Red Road, in 2006 impressing critics and audiences and marking director Andrea Arnold as a talent to watch in British cinema, her second film, Fish Tank, is just as impressive as her debut and seems to cement Arnold’s reputation as a talented filmmaker to stand alongside Ken Loach and Shane Meadows in her ability to tell gripping dramas in working class environments albeit adding something new to the mix by doing so whilst adding a strong female voice to the genre.
Growing up on an estate, Mia (Jarvis), feeling alienated from her mother and her former friends, dreams of escaping her life with hopes of a dancing career. When Connor (Fassbender), her mother’s new boyfriend, arrives in her and her family’s life, Mia finds herself even more at odds emotionally with Connor acting as a surrogate father offering her affection that she is unused and ill-equipped to deal with whilst also facing conflicting feelings of attraction towards Connor which may, or may not, be reciprocated. Their relationship grows and forces Mia to make changes in, and accepts truths about, herself and her life.
Fish Tank is an impressive drama. Whilst occasionally veering towards stereotypical kitchen sink moments such as a scene where Mia’s mother Joanne (Wareing) tells her she almost had her aborted, Arnold mostly paints a very realistic feeling of life on estates and the general hopelessness of the chances for anyone to escape such environments and lead better lives (the title of the film is a metaphor for this, showing how some fish are unable to be free and swim in the sea) becoming forced to relive the mistakes of their parents. Arnold also portrays her environments in such a way that even the council estates themselves can look somewhat beautiful under the evening sky though still manage to contrast starkly against the more beautiful countryside scenes in the film which offer audiences, and Mia, a glimpse of a different life just beyond what they usually see. Most impressive though is the relationship that develops between Mia and Connor and how it affects them both as characters. Mia starts off as your almost typically angry teenager, responding to criticism with insults and even violence which is also her first reactions when she meets Connor and begins to receive compliments and encouragement which she is unaccompanied too. However, her conflicting feelings when presented with such affections makes her reactions become somewhat more endearing, making Mia more sympathetic as we see the pains she has carried. Connor too becomes an interesting character though kept somewhat as an enigma, full of charm and some intelligence and his actions towards Mia, in addition to Mia’s clear unease at how to respond, leaves audiences with the nagging question as to whether there is more to Connor’s affections that mere fatherly interest giving their relationship sexual tension.
Katie Jarvis makes a very impressive debut as Mia. Giving her character a natural, believable balance of naivety alongside her anger and frustration, Jarvis makes Mia a character whose brusque nature only serves to make her a more understandable and sympathetic character allowing Mia to appear both innocent yet mature. Fassbender also impresses as Connor whose charming manner is subtly played so as to keep audiences uncertain as to his intentions yet also making him difficult to wholly demonise should fears of his intentions prove true. Wareing is good as Mia’s mother Joanne who, despite some uncomfortably stereotypical dialogue at times, gives a believable portrayal of her character becoming the future Mia can look forward too just as Mia’s younger sister offers a glimpse at Mia’s own beginnings.
Overall, Fish Tank is an impressive drama featuring some very strong performances from Jarvis and Fassbender. It may occasionally feature moments that seem stereotypical of kitchen sink dramas, but the performances and the central relationship between Mia and Connor and where it may lead makes Fish Tank both tense and emotionally challenging. Another impressive film from director Andrea Arnold.
Rating: 4/5
