Fish Tank (2009)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Initially repulsed by her mother's much younger new boyfriend, a teenage outcast finds herself slowly becoming attracted to him herself in this British drama starring first time actress Katie Jarvis. For an amateur actress, Jarvis offers quite a convincing performance with some great moments as she silently watches her mother dance in her underwear with a mix of pity and contempt. Whenever Jarvis opens her mouth though, it is hard not to squirm. Her character is written as someone so foul-mouthed, obnoxious and burning up with hate that it is hard to warm to her even when we see the upbringing that has led to be being so antisocial (she breaks another girl's nose simply for a rude remark within the first five minutes of the film). None of the other characters here are particularly likable either, and while her mother is probably the most intriguing character with her desire to still party and flirt like a teenager herself, she remains a secondary supporting character throughout. The film comes off as quite repetitive too. A kidnapping plot turn in the second half almost pulls the movie in a daringly different direction, but the potential of this subplot is never quite maximised. Between the innovative camera-work (full of shots that both walk and run with Jarvis) and desolate urban landscapes, 'Fish Tank' is a pretty good looking film, but one may find its appeal as mysterious as the title.

Everything changes for 15-year-old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend.How much can be said about the effect of a female writer-director on a film? Is it really different than from a male perspective? Generally, I think any difference is exaggerated. My knowledge is strongest with the horror genre, and the female-helmed features are not obviously different. (I am looking at you, Barbara Peeters.) Here, we see a very female-centric tale. How strong the characters are is debatable, but they are definitely front and center. The unorthodox relationship between daughter and boyfriend is told in a way that is more blunt than generally accepted.

I have to review this title because it is another caricature of poor people. Some have claimed that the director is comparable to Loach or Leigh, but they have more awareness than this and create more complex characters.Everyone in the film is a two dimensional cardboard caricature of an unlikeable poor working class (or Andrea might say underclass) person, by someone who I strongly suspect is from a middle or upper class privileged film school background.I live in a similar, very deprived area of SE London, so I can say that I believe this is a false depiction of the reality.Firstly, where are the black people? I can think of only one, who appears for a few seconds and commits a crime (buying cider for an underage girl). If Mia is so into black music, one would expect her to have black friends whom she could empathise with.SPOILERS COMING UP Caricatures: 1. Alcoholic promiscuous single parent mum, who seems to have no feelings for her elder daughter, even saying she almost got her aborted 2. 2 delinquent,violent,alcohol abusing kids, Mia and her younger sister.3. A pit bull type dog called Tennants (FYI a brand of strong lager) 4. A philandering Irishman with a wicked way with the ladies who takes the virginity of a girl he knows to be 15 in a place where he could easily be discovered by her mum. Being drunk isn't an excuse.5. A gypsy/traveller lad who makes a living by stealing car parts from a breakers yard and fixing cars.Total plot predictability/not credible I knew Connor was married from early on. When mia abducts the little girl, nobody has called the police. I imagine Connor's virtually-unseen wife would go berserk, and then would twig that Connor knows who it is when the girl returns to describe her assailant - note that we never see that scene because the director probably couldn't handle it correctly.The dance audition which shatters her dreams is for some sort of sex work/lap-dancing. I sighed beforehand hoping this wasn't going to be the case. I think that people who recruit girls for this are very careful to check ID to make sure they are 18, so they don't get busted.All in all, I thought this was a very patronising film, which does not represent the complex and difficult life of poor people in the UK today, it's a sort of 21st Century equivalent of Bedlam, where privileged people would pay to laugh at mad people.

Fish Tank is an English film that follows the life of Mia, played by Katie Jarvis, a troubled 15-year-old in a lower-middle class town in England. Mia is getting into fights at school, fighting with her mother who seems to not care about her at all. Her mother spends most of her day drunk, catering to a revolving door of men coming into her life. The only way Mia can cope with her troubles is by dancing. She aspires to be a hip-hop dancer. Spending most of her time watching American rap videos and practicing their dance moves. Her life begins to change when her mother starts a relationship with a man named Connor, played by the always fabulous Michael Fassbender. Conner seems different from the other men that Mia's mother brings home. He seems to be caring, kind and has a steady job. As always, things are quite what they seem. Fish Tank unfolds like many teen angst films. The environment feels authentic and the acting is top notch. This is especially true for newcomer Katie Jarvis. Her anger is overwhelmingly apparent. There is also an innocence in her that makes her whole story heartbreaking. You can't help but feel bad for her and wonder how different her life would be if she was living somewhere else and being raised by caring parents. Mia yearns to be free of her current life. She comes across a horse that is chained up and seems to be neglected. She tries to free the horse. Showing a gentle, caring side of Mia. The horse is also a metaphor. She wants the horse to be free, just as she wants herself to be free of her troubled life in the toxic environment that is the town she lives in.