Fish Tank
There needs to be some sort of uprising in female directors. This'll only come when people sit themselves down and realise that women are hardworking story tellers with a whole heap of talent that can evocatively grow the industry in a mind blowing way. They don't shirk from provocative movies, with some choosing daring and risqué films. Nor do they solely make films for women, I say knowing that which sex goes to watch your product shouldn't be sandwiched between two slices of stereotypical. Nevertheless, female directors are often unseen or unheard in the industry - so much so that people take a long time to name just a handful of lady directors. So who came to your mind? Katherine Bigelow? Ava DuVernay? Sophia Coppola? Angeline Jolie? Possibly maybe getting into Pearce?
Well, one woman you should know and get used to her timeless, stirring and undeniable excellent movies is Angela Arnold. If you want to see her epic body of work then I’d start with arguably her most accessible piece of work - Fish Tank. Set in a council estate in London, the film revolves around hostile fifteen year old Mia who hopes to escape her life and become a dancer. With her mother drinking and out all day, her school life going nowhere and anger running through her, Mia is shocked when her mother brings a new boyfriend home and feels a rush of feelings for him.
Laying bare the nakedness and raw atmosphere of the working class has been a staple in our British diet since we decided to laude ourselves over them. Using them for entertainment rather than reaching into the stories underneath, we often lump people on benefits and in these situations into groups that our stereotypes simply cannot edge. There is always the need to drench the tone in some sort of tongue in cheek, sarcastic manner that makes people chuckle in a “look at those poor sods” kind of way.
Not here, not with Arnold’s astute writing and redolent screenplay. She wields the story as a tableau on human life, entrenching us in to Mia and her emotions rather than allowing us to wield judgement. The grim elements that surround our aching troubled protagonist is beautiful coerced into the bleak sunlight that powers Mia. The subtlest details, both pained and sublime are weaved into her story as she tries to overcome her circumstance whilst connecting with a person showing her niceness. Arnold’s captivating film is artistry: poetic and wounded all at once.
The acting here is on point, alluring and entirely haunting. Young Katie Jarvis, who should’ve seen an instant pique in career since this film but has somewhat drifted into the background (hopefully, to work on her skill and come back in a blaze of the glory she harnessed here). Supposedly recruited for the role after being seen arguing with her boyfriend, Jarvis here is utterly captivating. Her stirring performance is gripping, well done and simply remarkable. She is instantly investable - leaving the visceral and tender moments to delicate facial expressions and an undercurrent that is both relatable yet distantly miserable.
I feel it is a moot point to say that Fassbender is fantastic here. But this isn’t his film. It is very much a relationship of Mia and her circumstances, helped along by Arnold’s great directing, stunning cinematography and a story that power this undeniably strong, reminiscent and striking film.