Mia is a girl on her way to a serious date with trouble.
In the very first few minutes she’s on the screen in “Fish Tank,” writer/director
screaming on the phone to a friend, head-butts another girl because she
doesn’t like the way she’s dancing, and gets into a tussle with her
struggling, drunken, emotionally unavailable single mom. “The Waltons”
it’s not.
Yet, as portrayed by
who’s in nearly every scene, Mia is compulsively watchable and
unforgettable. And she would be utterly depressing, too, if not for the
faint ray of light provided by hip-hop dance, the one thing that seems
to spark some flicker of pleasure in her otherwise dreary life.
Well, that, and her mom’s new boyfriend, Connor (
ground as they become closer, all set against the backdrop of bleak
high-rise housing projects and a suffocating sense of hopelessness.
While it might be criticized for utilizing
predictable elements — broken home, abusive mom, rudderless teens — it
fashions them together with a commanding sense of urgency. Although
some have compared it to “Precious” for obvious reasons, Arnold shows
off a far grittier style, making “Fish Tank” feel closer to a
documentary.
Jarvis, in her debut after reportedly being
discovered arguing with her boyfriend on a train platform, is
absolutely riveting. And the stellar soundtrack, featuring old R&B
and contemporary hip-hop, becomes an integral part of the production’s
roughhewn texture, never seeming extraneous.
The movie has won a theater full of awards overseas,
including Outstanding British Film at the BAFTA Film Awards recently
and the Jury Prize at
Fish Tank
5 stars
Unrated (strong language, sex, children in peril); 123 min.
—
(c) 2010, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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