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Fish Tank

Fish Tank

(Fish Tank), Andrea Arnold / GB, 2009
English version / Czech subtitles, 123 min

The protagonists of Andrea Arnold’s film don’t live in Notting Hill but in a council estate in Essex. The plot of the movie could be a loose continuation of the director’s short film Wasp, but the central focus here isn’t the young single mother, but her 15-year-old daughter. Mia is no enchanting creature: she’s been kicked out of school, her friends avoid her, and she just wonders around the neighborhood. Her only interest is dance. It appears that a change for the better is coming when Mia’s mother meets the friendly, attractive, and slightly mysterious Connor. Director Arnold has a talent for finding and capturing the poetry of mirthless, everyday life, and Fish Tank honors the tradition of social realism à la Ken Loach and the Dardenne brothers. The filmmaker’s visually refined style emphasizes authenticity, and thanks to the sensitive, fluid camerawork, viewers may feel like participants in the story. The excellent performances by highly-appreciated actors stand out: Michael Fassbender and Kierston Wareing, as well as non-actor Katie Jarvis who lives rather than acts her on-screen persona, Mia.