Review of Fish Tank (2009) by James K — 07 Jun 2011

I often wonder what inspires films like "Fish Tank" to be made. Newcomer actress Katie Jarvis was discovered by the director when she was seen in the middle of an argument with her boyfriend. Jarvis was then approached to play this part. Why? It must have been because of her toughness and her bravery -- the kind that must be so impressive that it can be seen just by observing a simple argument with a boyfriend. Jarvis does an impressive job in this film, which requires her to be both tough and vulnerable, and she pulls both off flawlessly. Although director Andrea Arnold probably had most of the screenplay done prior to meeting Jarvis, one has to wonder how much of it was further inspired by Jarvis herself. I like films like this.

The film, in short, is a story about a young girl with no friends; she finds her escape through hip-hop dancing. She is a loner and is quick to argue and fight with anyone who even looks at her the wrong way. Her character, Mia, looks like Emma Stone with the intimidating presence of Noomi Rapace. Mia ends up letting her guard down for her mother's charming Irish boyfriend, played incredibly well by Michael Fassbender. Fassbender's character, Connor, quickly finds himself drawn to the much younger Mia, and the scenes that work best in this film are those in which Mia and Connor are placed in sexually tense situations. The acting in these scenes is fantastic; there is a subtly needed to pull off the forbidden and questionably perverse attraction between the two characters, and the actors nail it.

"Fish Tank" has an interesting story, one which escalates quickly and leads to a revelation that is possibly predictable, but shocking nevertheless. I liked the ending, but I found it to be the weakest part of the film. However, the ending is tolerable and an understandable choice. I am sure that there would have been better ways to end it, but I cannot think of any myself. This is the kind of film that is excellent, but not superb. And that's perfectly alright with me.