The Film
British director Andrea Arnold blew them away at Cannes with this bleak and very intense film about a fifteen year-old girl growing up in the public housing projects of Essex. And comparisons between Fish Tank and the equally bleak Precious are not too far off the mark. Both films featured outstanding performances from their lead actresses, but seventeen year-old Katie Jarvis who was discovered on a train platform by a casting director is way too convincing for this to have been beginner's luck; she already has a child out of wedlock and holds her own with far more experienced adult actors such as Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds).
Jarvis' portrayal of ‘Mia' will leave you disturbed as she makes one poor decision after another with almost tragic consequences; although the ending leaves one with a mild sense of hope for her future. The bleakness of her surroundings is completely overshadowed by the gross indifference of her party-girl mother (a great performance by British actress Kierston Wareing) who doesn't work, drinks, smokes, and is more concerned about fulfilling her sexual needs than taking care of her two daughters. Mia finds inner peace in dancing to hip-hop, but obviously longs to get out of her situation even if that means abandoning her little sister.
Where the film might get a tad uncomfortable for some viewers (this is not a film for young teenagers to watch with their parents) is in a few scenes where both the mother and Mia explore their sexuality; where what's left of Mia's innocence is completely stripped away by the mother's boyfriend (Fassbender) who takes advantage of the young girl while the mother is passed out upstairs. It is an uncomfortable scene to observe, but criticism from some reviewers that ‘Connor' is a pedophile goes a little too far. He is certainly a creep and opportunist, but he actually has no malicious intent toward Mia or her little sister. He represents the "father" figure that all three women desperately need, but he lacks the moral fiber to fill that role and runs away when the situation becomes too complicated. The vulnerability of the three female characters is brilliantly balanced against the nuances of their environment and makes the film feel all too real.
Fish Tank is not a happy film and that is exactly how director Arnold wanted it to play out. It is bleak and often quite shocking; just like real life. Arnold has already won an Oscar for her short film Wasp (2003) and pulls no punches with this amazing bit of cinema. She is clearly a director to keep an eye on in the future.
The Picture
The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 channal surround track is focused on the two things that matter with this film; dialog and music. The accents are a tad thick and it was nice to not have to strain to understand every last word. There are a few moments where the dialog is hard to discern due to the positioning of the microphone in the room; especially in a pivotal scene between mother and daughter near the end of the film, but overall the sound is quite clear. The surround channels do not get much of a workout, but how many dogs barking in the hallway does one need to hear? Music is Mia's escape from her miserable existence and Arnold wisely chose to push it to the forefront on the soundtrack. There is bass in the mix, but it's not going to give your subwoofer much of a test.
The Extras
Criterion has packed a lot of additional material onto the Blu-ray release, including three short films from Andrea Arnold; Milk (1998), Dog (2001), and her Oscar winning film, Wasp (2003). You can clearly see the progression from the first short to Fish Tank. There is also a video interview from 2010 with Kierston Wareing that offers some insight to the characters, but comes across as slightly off as the actress is all over the place. The audio-only interview with Michael Fassbender contains more useful information, but loses some of its appeal as the audience starts asking him questions that take him away from the subject matter. The most brilliant part of the additional content is the audition footage (which does not include Jarvis); once again proving the point that white people can't dance. If you don't laugh, you're too tightly wound to appreciate the film. A series of beautifully shot production stills round out the additional material. The only thing missing is an interview with Katie Jarvis which would have been quite fascinating to watch.
Final Thoughts
Fish Tank is certainly not a film for everyone. The language and sexual content are important parts of the story and I don't think the film would have resonated with the audience in the same manner, had they been left on the cutting room floor. The entire cast does a superb job, but newcomer Katie Jarvis carries the film on her young, delicate shoulders. If you are looking for a "happy" film where all the nice people get what they want in the end, this is not the film for you. It is a depressing and sensitive film that will touch a nerve. Fantastic filmmaking and a solid audio/video transfer combine with satifying extras to bring us one of the best releases from Criterion Collection in many years.
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