Andrea Arnold cements herself as one of our most original voices in British cinema with this haunting tale of lost innocence, set within the monolithic confines of a run-down housing estate. A female Ken Loach for today’s generation, Arnold’s refusal to sensationalise the grim existence of its central characters provides the film with more substance and depth than similar kitchen-sink dramas could ever dare to hope for.
Having recently been kicked out of school for unspecified reasons, 15 year old Mia (Jarvis) now spends her days drinking, fighting and practicing dance routines. A festering pressure-pot of inarticulate rage, Mia is almost primal in her mannerisms. Her cramped home consists of an eternally absent father, an abusive mother and an argumentative younger sister. This highly aggressive teenager is a wild animal, confined to the postcode prison of her housing estate.
The crux of the film lies within the central relationship between Mia and her mother’s new boyfriend Connor (Fassbender). When Connor first comes to visit, Mia, confronted with the sight of this charming, handsome stranger - acts like a deer caught in headlights. When Connor starts displaying a fatherly interest in Mia, Mia’s defences all but strip away as she fights mixed emotions of being shown kindness and warmth from a strong father figure. Ultimately however it’s an uncomfortable, uneasy anxiety that starts to come to the fore as their relationship threatens to teeter down an uncertain path.
Arnold’s greatest strength here is to not cast aspersions and to instead show us the moral grey areas of where its main characters reside. Who is Connor and what are his intentions? Should the naïve and unwitting Mia be more aware of what is happening around her? By downplaying the lingering sexual overtones, a climatic scene between the pair comes as even more of a shock, and even after – Arnold refuses to make clear-cut lines between victim and monster.
Despite its subject matter, Fish Tank is underplayed and directed in a warm, dreamlike manner. There’s a lot to admire here, from the fantastic script, to the top-notch cinematography and the star-making turns from the lead cast. An easy frontrunner for best British film of 2009, expect Fish Tank to clean up at awards season.
Jonny Dawson
