IMDb > Fish Tank (2009)

Fish Tank (2009) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 3 | slideshow) Videos (see all 4)
Fish Tank (2009) -- Everything changes for 15yr old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend.
Fish Tank (2009) -- Trailer for this drama from Andrea Arnold
Fish Tank (2009) -- Movieplayer.it - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   1,308 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Andrea Arnold (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Fish Tank on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 September 2009 (UK) more
Genre:
Plot:
Everything changes for 15yr old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend. | add synopsis
Awards:
7 wins & 13 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(231 articles)
User Reviews:
Right out of the water more (11 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Katie Jarvis ... Mia
Rebecca Griffiths ... Tyler
Carrie-Ann Savill ... Tyler's Friend
Toyin Ogidi ... Tyler's Friend
Grant Wild ... Keeley's Dad
Sarah Bayes ... Keeley

Charlotte Collins ... Sophie
Kirsty Smith ... Dancing Girl
Chelsea Chase ... Andree
Brooke Hobby ... London
Harry Treadaway ... Billy
Syrus ... Tennents the Dog
Kierston Wareing ... Joanne
Alan Francis ... Free Runner
Ben Francis ... Free Runner
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
123 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Argentina:16
Filming Locations:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Soundtrack:
Me & U more

FAQ

How did Mia know Connor's address and where he worked?
more
29 out of 40 people found the following review useful.
Right out of the water, 29 June 2009
9/10
Author: Chris Docker (eyeforfilm) from Scotland, United Kingdom

"All my films have started with an image," says director Andrea Arnold. "It's usually quite a strong image and it seems to come from nowhere. I don't understand the image at first or what it means, but I want to know more about it so I start exploring it, try and understand it and what it means. This is how I always start writing." What does the image of a fish tank conjure up for you? On the inside longing to look out, is fifteen-year-old Mia. Trapped in a housing estate. Trapped in a single parent family. Trapped by people around her she can't respect. Trapped in herself. For being fifteen. She has her own inner world, fighting to manifest itself . Fortified by cigarettes and alcohol she can kick in the door of the empty nearby flat. A bare floor. Her CD player. Practice her moves. A better dancer than those kids on the block she just nutted.

Mia is quite content to carve out her own double life, f*ck you very much! Never mind she gets caught and nearly comes to grief trying to steal a horse. And social workers don't scare her. But mom's new boyfriend – that could be a pain! A real spanner in the works. Especially when he's so annoyingly nice.

Under Andrea Arnold's hand, life on this inner city concrete backwater is suddenly very alive. Banalities become beautiful. Like sunlight through cracked glass. Vibrant, gritty and riveting, but in a way that entertains powerfully. As pulsating and funny as Trainspotting but without the yuck factor. Its momentum is overpowering. We never know what is going to come out of Mia's mouth or where events will lead. Each jaw-dropping new scene surprises yet seems the result of inexorable momentum. As if that wasn't enough, the story mercifully avoids kitchen-sink drama, excessive violence, drugs, getting pregnant, grand larceny, car crashes and all the other cliché-ridden devices to which cinema-goers are usually subjected. Tightly controlled, Fish Tank attacks with a potent and thought-provoking arsenal of story-telling.

Andrea Arnold proved she could do hard-hitting realism with her award-winning debut, Red Road. Here she excels her earlier efforts but still imbibes many of the verité approaches and senses of discipline that have filtered down from the Dogme and Advance Party movements. Her 'strong initial image,' or lack of subservience to more traditional methodology, maybe reminds of the devotion to experimental, avant-garde cinema taken by artists-turned-filmmakers such as Steve McQueen (Hunger) or theme-over-story technicians such as Duane Hopkins (Better Things). Michael Fassbender, who took reality to new heights as Bobby Sands in Hunger, here plays the mystifying and warmly charismatic Connor (Mum's boyfriend).

Arnold didn't allow actors to read the script beforehand. They were given their scenes only a few days before filming. For the part of Mia, she chooses a complete unknown with zero experience. Arnold spotted Katie Jarvis at a train station after drawing a blank with casting agencies. "She was on one platform arguing with her boyfriend on another platform, giving him grief." However the performance is achieved, Jarvis is electrifying. If Arnold wanted a 'real' person for the role, this seventeen-year-old takes over the screen with raw adolescent power. Says Arnold, "I wanted a girl who would not have to act, could just be herself." Fish Tank will lift you out of your seat and on an unstoppable flight, ricocheting against confines of circumstance and imploding a dysfunctional family with its head of hormonal steam. Laugh, cry, hold on tight. You will need to. I could almost taste the vodka, as Mia goes through her Mum's dressing table drawers, bottle in hand. I wish all British films were this good.

Was the above review useful to you?
more (11 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Fish Tank (2009)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Tell me why this film is good. Doctor_Mongoose
Why did Connor drive an automatic? George_Sawer_Oxford_UK
FILM/DVD release bono_vox_is_god
FISH TANK? napoleonisjunk
1.33:1 - why? david-3951
US theater release date greyeyegoddess
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Bend It Like Beckham Thirteen GirlLikeMe Hairspray Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb UK section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.