Fish Tank

Sometimes the most beautiful films are the hardest to write about. Because you feel grateful to them. Because they move you like no other more sophisticated films, even though they speak of the most ordinary things. Fish Tank surprised me. With its authenticity, humanity, naturalness and short, poetic slow-motion shots that were a breath of fresh air in all that surrounding hopelessness. In Fish Tank, I grew fond of the character of an annoying teenager to whom I would give a wide berth in real life. Fish Tank moved me with a scene in which a family hip-hop dances in their living room. For me, this is THE European film of 2009. (16.01.2010)

Fantastic shot depth and subtle metaphors in an otherwise very realistic depiction – Andrea Arnold has the attentive empathy of a woman, but this does not prevent her from hiding moral ambivalence, humiliation and betrayal under a very aesthetic package. The excellent Kate Jarvis has a harsh temperament, Fassbender proves that he is one of the most elastic actors today, and the entire strangely crippled panopticon of the characters works without any issues. The result is pure realism, but which in no way should be confused with craft routine or documentary detachment. Fish Tank is the perfect compromise between authenticity and aesthetics. The only fault I can find is that it is sometimes a little lengthy, but even that is part of Andrea Arnold's personal stamp. A stamp in which I can see a lot of the imprints of the Danish school of Lars von Trier... but Fish Tank is a unique and sophisticated author's film. (16.01.2010)

British social drama is a concept in cinema, and in terms of the genre, Fish Tank is, from my perspective, at the absolute top. Katie Jarvis' performance literally grounded me, and I immediately asked myself how it was possible that I hadn't seen this amazing girl in anything else before. Afterward, it occurred to me that the incredible authenticity of her performance stems from the fact that she actually represents herself. But even this fact doesn't diminish her natural talent. It's a shame that no one else was found to continue to work with her, cultivate her expression, and turn her into a real actress. In any case, I can truly recommend Fish Tank as an intimate drama about a teenage girl from the British lower class and her romantic infatuation and subsequent sobering up. Overall impression: 95%. (07.10.2015)

The best, most moving, emotionally powerful, and compelling films are those that tell stories of "ordinary", everyday life. What’s more, if the filmmakers manage to do without unnecessary fluff, frills, and all manner of unnecessarily distracting elements typical of thematically similar American films, they can create a work that hits you both with its pure humanity and chosen narrative style, which may be "harsher" at certain moments, but never slips into psychological terror or emotional manipulation. A social drama like mad where Katie Jarvis makes her acting debut and excels. (06.12.2010)