Quickcard Review - Chicago International Film Festival Review Fish Tank
Directed by: Andrea Arnold Cast: Katie Jarvis, Michael Fassbender Running Time: 2 hrs, 3 mins Rating: R
PLOT: A 15-year-old girl (Jarvis) who lives with her mother and sister in public housing has dreams of becoming a hip-hop dancer.
WHO'S IT FOR? Tired of movies that portray “the streets” with too much sparkle? Want a bit more reality in your coming of age stories? Here’s Fish Tank.
OVERALL
With long takes and no musical score, Fish Tank is one of those films that is subtle in presentation – but is as large as life when considering its story. It’s the tale of growing up and getting out like we’ve seen before, but this time without the soft edges. Some more than obvious imagery at the end of the film provides us with closure, but not before irrevocable mistakes are made first.
Newcomer Katie Jarvis does a wonderful job in carrying the film – she’s as fluid as an actor as she is a dancer. In a way, her character’s construction are similar to that of Hollywood dance movies, particularly the two Step Up series, but both Jarvis and the film’s grimy aesthetics prevent from any hint of Fish Tank becoming fantastical. Instead, Jarvis is a rather convincing chip off the public housing block, and only has one moment of exaggerated actions in the entire film (in the third act, it involves kidnapping – see for yourself).
Fassbender earned a Gold Plaque for Best Supporting Actor for his role, something that I don’t entirely agree with. His character, Connor, the boyfriend to the girl’s mother, does carry his mysterious motivations, but he is able to do so while keeping a normal façade. Connor does lose his own innocence subtly throughout the film, but much of his effect as a character is due to the opposing actions by Mia. The scenes that must’ve brought him the most attention probably also involved the Mia, as they were focuses on the pair's unusual chemistry.
The observational Fish Tank was the recipient of the Silver Hugo for Special Jury Award, which is a fair placement. It’s overall experience may not have been the absolute best from this year’s festival, but the film is still something that can be appreciated once it makes some sort of stateside release.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10