Review of Fish Tank (2009) by Chris J — 15 Mar 2011

Jennifer's Body tells (in a tongue-in-cheek manner) what it's like to be a teenage girl. However, Fish Tank, SHOWS what it's like for Mia (Katie Jarvis). And she is full of anger and hate and dance. I loved everything about this movie. It surpassed Winter's Bone, in my opinion, and I adored Winter's Bone. Both movies show poor white girls and how their lives are twisted by familial dysunction.

SPOILERS BELOW!

This film is more of a character study than a plot-driven movie. Mia is a fifteen year-old girl with a worthless mother and a hard life. Sadly, the only person to show her any afection is her mother's new boyfriend, Conner. I want to say he's an a**hole, but truthfully, he has a few good points. He bandages her foot. He gives her a camera. He bestows a few kind words here and there. He's not the villian. Mia's own self-destructive tendencies take that cake. Her one joy is hip-hop dancing and music.

The cinematography and motifs in the film are well-done. The sub-plot with the horse helps bring about an emotional climax for Mia's character that is fulfilling. The scene with Kiera (her semi-aduction) and Mia's obsession with Conner's secret life is also very suspenseful. The stifled feel of a fish tank is shown through the shots of Mia's apartment complex. The use of "California Dreamin'" was also emotionally satisfying to me. The ending song, "Life's a Bitch (and then you die)," is an apt piece and seeing all three women dance together at the end of the film allows me to hope that Mia's life turns around. But I doubt it.

Altogether, a fantastic movie, that made me feel like I was fifteen again. Ah, that was a terrible age! I would also compare Conner's charcter with the criminally smooth Peter Saarsgard in "An Education." Older men are the devil in disguise : ).