Fish Tank (2009)

Everything changes for 15-year-old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend.

Director:

Andrea Arnold

Writer:

Andrea Arnold

Stars:

Katie Jarvis, Michael Fassbender, Kierston Wareing

21 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Katie Jarvis	...	Mia
Michael Fassbender	...	Conor
Kierston Wareing	...	Joanne
Rebecca Griffiths	...	Tyler
Harry Treadaway	...	Billy
Sydney Mary Nash	...	Keira
Carrie-Ann Savill	...	Tyler's Friend
Toyin Ogidi	...	Tyler's Friend
Grant Wild	...	Keeley's Dad
Sarah Bayes	...	Keeley
Charlotte Collins	...	Tall Dancing Girl
Kirsty Smith	...	Dancing Girl
Chelsea Chase	...	Dancing Girl
Brooke Hobby	...	Dancing Girl
Jason Maza	...	Billy's Brother

Storyline

Mia, an aggressive fifteen-year-old girl, lives on an Essex estate with her tarty mother, Joanne, and precocious little sister Tyler. She has been thrown out of school and is awaiting admission to a referrals unit and spends her days aimlessly. She begins an uneasy friendship with Joanne's slick boyfriend, Connor, who encourages her one interest, dancing.

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Plot Keywords:

essex | dancing | suburb | 15 year old | little sister | 

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Taglines:

Live, love and give as good as you get.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France]

Country:

Netherlands UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 September 2009 (UK)

Also Known As:

Fish Tank

Filming Locations:

Mardyke Estate, Rainham, Essex, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£103,180 (United Kingdom), 13 September 2009, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$32,619, 17 January 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$373,060, 9 May 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films, UK Film Council, Limelight Communication

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Goofs

When Mia takes the alcohol bottle from the woman at one of the parties, it is almost empty. Later, Mia is seen drinking from the bottle in her mother's bedroom and the bottle is half full.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Mia calls Keeley using a cellphone]
Keeley: [from an answering machine] Hey, it's Keeley. Leave me a message.
Mia: Keeley, it's me. What's going on? I've left like three messages. I said sorry, didn't I? You know what I'm like. I was pissed off. Ring me back, you bitch.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Daybreakers/Leap Year/Youth in Revolt (2010)

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Soundtracks

Your House
Performed by Steel Pulse
Written by Alphonso Martin
Published by Blackchat Music
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Take a fishing trip

Andrea Arnold's "Fish Tank" was a big hit in Britain and at Cannes and now tries its hand at America, who will probably nickname it "White Precious." Anchored by a star-making performance from Kate Jarvis, Arnold's film is more grit and zero melodrama, a step-up from the weepy style of "Precious." Jarvis plays Mia, a teenager living in the ghetto where kids expect to follow in the option-less footsteps of their parents. Her little sister (Rebecca Griffiths) is already smoking and emulating skanks on MTV and mom (Kierston Wareing) is a drunk throwing parties with very sketchy friends. Mia has a dream of becoming a dancer and she finds encouragement from mom's new boyfriend, Connor (Michael Fassbender), a hunky security guard who seems like a nice guy but is, at times, "too friendly." It's familiar other-side-of-the tracks territory but it doesn't spend time wallowing in misfortune. Arnold's film is harsh, and with its use of language (the C and F words are used a lot), dead-end scenery, breathless sexual and violent encounters, and Jarvis' award-worthy portrayal, it's nothing short of compelling. It's a brave performance, a rough-fighter exterior masking youthful vulnerabilities. Fassbender also impresses as a charming/shady character that you're never quite sure has a sexual or fatherly preference toward Mia. It all comes down to a predictable yet scary ending where neglect turns dangerous.