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fish tank, a movie









fishtank is intense. intensely angry and harsh, it is obvious the lifestyle of this poor english neighborhood that brings up the main character, mia, creates a monster in her too. she spits, she curses with every other word no matter the conversation, she's constantly guarded and weary of everyone... she's mean. but mia's also shy, self-aware, and sad, and you can see it the moment she comes on the screen. it could be the fact that i'm older than mia's character and can recognize these traits of hers more easily, having been at that stage myself (but not nearly as reckless)... though i don't know, perhaps it is just the mood of the movie and katie jarvis's (mia) acting that is so convincing, essentially both fabrications by the director and his production crew. fishtank is not really a movie that touches your heart, but rather, makes you squirm. mia makes some pretty terrible decisions throughout the movie that really shocked me. but it's also all a learning process for her, as dramatic and extreme as it is, as she continues to grow up. true to british fashion, mia is not very attractive, she is real and this goes for all the supporting actors as well. this movie was really just like a telescope to another part of the world that i've never been and would normally not want to see. it's a strange curiosity, wanting to see the shit in other people's lives, and this really pulls me through the entire film.

2 comments:

  1. I liked this film but didn't 'enjoy' it. The relationship with Michael Fassbender made me feel very uncomfortable throughout. A life like Mia's in Fish Tank is the reality for a lot of kids growing up on big council estates in the UK - they exist in every single county up and down the country. Kids are exposed to so many inappropriate things and situations. If you like movies that expose lower class Britain as it truly is - the anger, the hardship and the hope - you'll probably like Mike Leigh and Shane Meadow's films if you havent seen them already. I saw Paddy Considine's Tyrannosaur recently - you might like that too!


    Have you seen Red Road by the same director?

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    1. me and my roommate were discussing how the title is so clever/perfect for the movie. i mean, mia's dream to be a renowned breakdancer ultimately leads her to a stripper audition! like, what the hell? it's even sadder than her inability to really breakdance is so apparent too. there's just something horribly realistic about this movie where it just kills every "hollywood/disney underdog" theme that could have ever existed. it's way too real, and way too sad. i've no more knowledge on the uk then what 'an education' , 'misfits', and 'skins' has taught me honestly, but i'm so interested. thanks for the comment, i'm really excited to look into your movie suggestions (no, unfortunately, haven't seen red road!). hopefully i can write another blog post about one of them soon! (:

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