|||

Fish Tank

Andrea Arnold wrote and directed Fish Tank, which is about a 15-year-old young woman who is struggling to figure out who she is. Set in housing projects in Essex, it’s a gritty naturalistic slice of life as we follow Mia (played remarkably by Katie Jarvis) through her days in the summer as she practices dancing and wanders around the neighbourhood. The plot and characters slowly emerge and there is a verité feel to the film. Beautifully shot and with bold supporting performances by Kierston Wareing as Mia’s mom and Michael Fassbinder as her boyfriend it skirts along an uncomfortable edge in all the relationships. The film lays the groundwork and then lets us watch as the characters deal with circumstances with no clear or logical way out.

We see the different roles that Mia has with herself, her mom, her sister and her classmates from school as we as how she deals with men and her own sexuality and identity. It’s compelling to watch and is a subtle and powerful portrait of a woman who is seeing the world and herself in a new way.

Up next The King’s Speech Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Latest posts Favourite Films of 2020 FIN Atlantic International Film Festival 2020 Galas FIN Atlantic International Film Festival 2020 Preview My Favourite Films of 2019 Best of the 39th FIN Atlantic International Film Festival FIN Atlantic International Film Festival 2019 Fiction Features 2019 FIN Atlantic International Film Festival Galas The Films of Agnès Varda Archiving Moving Hosts Best Films of 2018 FIN Atlantic International Film Festival 2018 Documentaries, Features, and Special Presentations FIN Atlantic International Film Festival 2018 Preview, Galas, Restored!, and Extreme Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival 2018 Preview How and What I Watched in 2017 Favourite Films of 2017 FIN Atlantic International Film Festival 2017 FIN ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2017 PREVIEW PART 3 FIN Atlantic International Film Festival 2017 Preview Part 2 FIN Atlantic International Film Festival 2017 Preview Part 1 FIN Atlantic International Film Festival 2017 Gala Preview 52 Films by Women Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival 2017 Favourite Films of 2016 Breaking a Streak Day 8 - Atlantic Film Festival 2016 Day 7 - Atlantic Film Festival 2016 Day 6 - Atlantic Film Festival 2016 Day 5 - Atlantic Film Festival 2016 Day 4 - Atlantic Film Festival 2016 Day 3 - Atlantic Film Festival 2016