Review of Fish Tank (2009) by Ypomoni — 04 Jul 2013

This is a beautiful realistic film of the life of a 15 year olf girl living in a council estate area of Essex. Mia has no guiding figure in her life and she is basically left alone to do as she pleases.

Having been kicked out of school and obviously just come to blows with her best and, most likely, only friend, she is easily intrigued by her mother's charming new boyfriend Conner, even more so as he appears to acknowledge her presence in ways that she is not accustomed to ways that do not include put-me-downs and insults.

He is tenderly caring with all the woman in Mia's family and appears to be an excellent, much needed father figure to Mia, trying to talk to her, being the first person to notice she has a passion for dancing, and also encourages her by telling her she is good at it, he lifts her spirits and gives her hope.

Katie Jarvis is excellent in the role of Mia, giving a very realistic performance of a young teen who feels like an outcast, always on guard, aggressive and yet confused when feeling emotions she is not familiar with.

Michael Fassbender is brilliant as Conner, the charming, supportive boyfriend of Mia's mother, a man who appears to genuinely care for Mia. As the film progresses, so do the circumstances the lines between who was right and who was wrong are blurred, the initial intentions of some peoples actions are unclear.

Mia is just a kid, but is forced into a grown-ups world and has rotten examples surrounding her. Maybe if she were to escape this fish tank, she could have a chance just maybe...if only the pace of the film was not so slow, the rating would have been higher, but overall a solid piece of realism.