As told through the eyes of Mia, a mouthy 15-year-old aspiring hip-hop dancer, Fish Tank plays like a grittier, low-class version of An Education. Though both are British films, the worlds their characters inhabit could not be more different.
Mia doesn’t seem to care about anything besides dancing and acting tough. Her wardrobe consists entirely of track suits and she drinks like a seasoned pro, both in her mother’s scuzzy apartment and in the vacant one to where she escapes to practice her dancing. Both Mia and her younger sister curse without hesitation at their perpetually wasted mother (Kierston Wareing), who can’t be a minute older than 30.
When her mother brings home a slimy, yet charming new boyfriend named Connor (Michael Fassbender of Inglourious Basterds and Hunger), Mia instantly becomes smitten when he compliments the way she dances along with a Ja Rule music video.
Writer/director Andrea Arnold originally wanted to cast a trained dancer in the role of Mia, but Katie Jarvis landed the gig after a casting director spotted her at a train station arguing with her boyfriend. The casting of a non-dancer works because Mia, while a decent dancer, isn’t nearly as good as she thinks she is. It shows Mia’s naivety and alludes to Connor’s impure and manipulative ways as he continues to encourage her in an attempt to gain her trust. The performances from Jarvis and especially Fassbender are exceptional. It’s easy to see why he’s one of today’s fastest rising stars.
The film is presented in its original 4:3 aspect ratio, with the picture matted into the shape of an old school “square screen” TV. Some have alluded to this giving the film a more claustrophobic feel, but I feel it was done to treat the audience more like an outsider. We’re a silent observer, much like Mia is when she looks into the kitchen window (again, a square). Mia sees her mother dancing ecstatically the morning after her first night with Connor and no doubt judges her for the quality of her dance moves. Many scenes are accompanied by a glare that imitates that annoying midday sun protruding through the blinds in your living room. Coincidently (or perhaps not?) no wide-screen or high definition televisions appear in the film itself.
It took me three viewings before I gathered a theory on what the film’s title means. I think it all comes down to a scene when Connor takes the three girls on a picnic. Connor, clearly showing off, walks into the pond and tries to catch a fish with his bare hands. Connor convinces Mia to wade into the water and help lure the fish into his arms.
“Look, people don’t come here often. The fish are stupid, we’ll get one easy,” he explains. Mia isn’t used to being around guys or receiving any positive attention in general. Much like the fish who isn’t exposed to the threats of heavy fishing or larger fish, Mia is easily manipulated and succumbs to Connor’s trap.
The disc comes in the standard Criterion clear plastic case that I’ve come to know and love, complete with an 18-page booklet of stills and an essay by film scholar Ian Christie. I’m not familiar with the circumstances surrounding the film’s release and the extent of Arnold’s involvement, but it seems inexcusable that Criterion was unable to obtain a commentary track for a film that premiered nearly two years before this release. Instead we get all three short films Arnold directed before making her feature debut with 2006 Cannes Jury Prize winner Red Road — Milk (1998), Dog (2001) and Wasp (2003).
The obvious standout here is Wasp. This outstanding 26-minute film won the 2005 Oscar for Best Live Action Short and feels like a precursor to Fish Tank in regards to cringe-inducing parenting.
If I had to complain about anything (aside from the lack of director’s commentary), it would be that the nearly transparent menu screens are often difficult to read. The remaining extras consist of an audio-only interview with Michael Fassbender, a video interview with Kierston Wareing and a throwaway ten-minute reel of dancers auditioning for the part of Mia.
The disc’s pristine image quality is on par with what we’ve come to expect from Criterion, even if the supplementary material lacks by comparison. As much as I love this film, I can also see that it’s a rather polarizing one (Brad didn’t like it nearly as much as I did). So my recommendation is this: Watch Fish Tank on Netflix Instant (the picture quality won’t be the same, but you’ll get the gist of it) and buy the Criterion Blu-ray if you dig it. I stayed up ridiculously late to watch the film on the Sundance Channel a few months ago and knew immediately that I wanted to add it to my collection.
