Overall Rating: ★★★ ½
Pop Culture Footprint: Small. Despite its Cannes recognition and status as an early showcase for Michael Fassbender, Fish Tank seems to have remained largely within arthouse and cinephile circles. None of my film friends have ever brought it up, which says something about how quietly it's existed in the larger film conversation.
Rewatchability: 2.5 out of 5 — There's plenty to appreciate in the filmmaking and performances, but the difficult subject matter doesn't exactly make me eager to revisit it anytime soon.
Makes You Think: Absolutely. How do girls like Mia find their way in a world that has seemingly given up on them before they've even had a chance?
Conversation Starter: There's plenty to unpack about generational poverty, the vulnerability of young girls seeking affection and the responsibility adults have toward children who lack stable support systems. It also raises uncomfortable questions about how easily charisma can disguise predatory behavior.
Holds Up: Almost too well. The circumstances surrounding Mia's life feel just as relevant today, which is perhaps the most depressing thing about the film.
Where I'd Place It: I respect Fish Tank more than I love it. It's an impactful film with a remarkable central performance, but I'm not convinced it belongs among the 100 most essential films of the century. By the time I finish this journey, I suspect it may be one of those entries I have to remind myself was on the list.
★ ★★ 1/2
#91 – Fish Tank (2009)
From The New York Times: The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century
Directed by Andrea Arnold
I had no expectations going into Fish Tank. I personally don't know anyone who has seen it, and the only thing I knew about it was that it featured one of Michael Fassbender's early performances. It's also the first British film to make an appearance on my journey, which means subtitles were extremely helpful in deciphering those thick Essex accents.
Fifteen-year-old Mia (Katie Jarvis) is a loner living in a public housing estate with her single mom and younger sister. She spends her days sneaking booze, getting into fights and dreaming of becoming a professional dancer. With little guidance at home and seemingly no direction in life, Mia finds solace in hip-hop dancing and the occasional escape from her bleak surroundings. But when her mom brings home a new boyfriend, Connor (Fassbender), Mia finds herself drawn to a man who offers something she's rarely experienced: attention, encouragement and what she believes could be love. Unfortunately, that attention comes with consequences that will forever change her life.
Winning the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival almost automatically gives a film a certain weight going into it. Cannes films usually carry a heftier emotional punch, and Fish Tank is a tough watch, but not necessarily in the way you'd think. Any material dealing with a relationship between an adult man and an underage girl is hard to stomach, but writer and director Andrea Arnold treats her story with respect. She easily could have made it more exploitative through certain camera angles or cinematography, but instead takes a restrained, realistic approach that makes the story that much more impactful.
Though it's fictional, you leave Fish Tank knowing this could easily be the story of any teenager growing up below the poverty line. While watching it, the weight of the world hits you because Mia could be a stand-in for so many underprivileged young people. She's been dealt a bad hand, and no matter how hard she tries, there seems to be little she can do to change her circumstances or escape them. It's a frustrating reality that makes the film all the more heartbreaking.
I also appreciated how Arnold stays present with her characters and the story. Lesser filmmakers might have leaned into elaborate backstories or flashbacks to explain why these characters are the way they are, but Arnold lets the story stand on its own and trusts the audience to fill in the gaps. You have a feeling where the story is ultimately taking you, but the individual scenes still manage to be surprising, uncomfortable and, at times, genuinely touching.
This was Jarvis's first acting role, and you get the sense that she has lived this life. Her performance is raw, uncensored and seemingly uninhibited by the self-consciousness that can come with acting experience. It's one of those rare youthful performances where Arnold clearly captured lightning in a bottle. Then you bring in Fassbender, who has always possessed a natural charisma, and you understand why Mia becomes so enamored with this mysterious man who has entered her life.
It's probably the first time she's ever been around someone she perceives as a positive male role model. Hell, maybe any positive role model at all. That makes what unfolds even more infuriating. Fassbender walks a fine line between charming and unsettling, and Arnold does a remarkable job of showing how easily someone desperate for affection can mistake attention for genuine love. What I appreciated most is that Arnold never fundamentally changes who Mia is. She's still stubborn, impulsive and often difficult to like, but there are glimpses of hope beneath her sullen exterior.
The film is well edited and thoughtfully put together, but if I have one small quibble, it's that some of the symbolic journeys Mia goes on add a little too much to an already layered story. I won't go into too many details, but a horse plays a recurring part in the film, and I'm not convinced it was necessary. It felt a bit out of place and was one of the few times I thought Arnold was deliberately trying to make me feel something rather than allowing the story to do the work on its own. The film is already powerful enough without the additional symbolism.
I'm a little surprised to find Fish Tank on this list. Not because it isn't worth watching, but because, although the circumstances are different, the story feels familiar. The Florida Project and Precious both came to mind while watching it. All three films explore worlds where people are struggling to find a sense of worth and dignity while living in circumstances that much of society would rather ignore or look down upon.
What makes Fish Tank effective is that it doesn't offer easy answers or a comforting resolution. Is Mia capable of creating a better life for herself? It's hard not to be doubtful, especially when the world around her has given her so few reasons to believe otherwise.
I don't know that Fish Tank will stay with me in the same way some of the other films on this list have, but I appreciate what Arnold has accomplished. It's a reminder that the opportunities and stability many of us take for granted are far from universal. And while Mia's story may be fictional, there are countless young people living some version of it every day. If nothing else, Fish Tank should make you appreciate the life you have and, hopefully, think a little more about those who haven't been afforded the same opportunities.
