In her second film Andrea Arnold displays a deep engagement with her
story of a suburban 15-year-old British girl seduced by her mother's
lover. Tough-girl Mia (well played by Katie Jarvis) lives in an Essex
housing project with her indiscriminate mother Joanne (Kierston
Wareing) and younger sister Tyler (Rebecca Griffiths). Mia never wears
anything other than sweats and a hoody. She hip-hop dances alone in an
empty apartment living room with a balcony overlooking the industrial
wasteland around her. Mia uses dance to ground her identity even though
her rapidly changing body is clumsier than she imagines. Trouble
arrives in the form of her mom's seemingly innocuous boyfriend Connor
(Michael Fassbender). Connor sizes up Mia with the accuracy of a
sharpshooter. Liberation, romance, coming-of-age, and familial
cause-and-effect are all themes at play. As a filmmaker Arnold strips
away artifice by allowing her actors' performances to take center
stage. There is a verité quality in the way cinematographer Robbie Ryan
frames compositions at unconventionally impromptu angles using natural
light. Uncommonly naturalistic performances by the ensemble cast add to
this film's kinship to works from British neo-realist directors Mike
Leigh and Ken Loach. As an example of modern British social satire,
"Fish Tank" is a stellar addition.
Unrated. 122 mins. (A-)
(Four Stars – out-of-five/no-halve
