Fish Tank

  • 2009


MOVIE IS artistic compelling powerful conventional naturalistic
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79 %
91 % Certified Fresh
$ 2 Million
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Positive Reviews 94
Negative reviews 18
Average Rating 3.8/5
artistic compelling powerful conventional naturalistic

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  • Positive
  • Negative
3.0
Advertisement Fish Tanks groaningly obvious passages wouldnt be so aggravating if Arnold didnt get so much right. Av Club
2.5
As it turns out, though, Air Doll isnt the story of a quirky loner and his meaningful relationship with an inflatable sex toy. Av Club
2.0
In freeing her young stars physicality in Fish Tank, Arnold also demonstrates one way a girl might learn to swim up and out. EW
5.0
Arnold sees everything through Mias eyes and never steps outside to explain things from any other point of view. She knows who the young girl is, and .. Rogerebert
4.5
What makes pic feel special is its unflinching honesty and lack of sentimentality or moralizing, along with assured direction and excellent perfs. Variety
5.0
Hers is an intimate drama of grey areas and all the better and more thoughtful and thought provoking for it. Time Out
3.8
The British directors filmmaking style is precise and concise, as tight and lean as her teenage heroine.
4.4
Jarvis, whom the director reportedly discovered at an Essex train station, is nothing less than a revelation in a performance that is tender, spiky an ..
4.5
Andrea Arnold confidently navigates the pitfalls of the difficult second feature with Fish Tank, which confirms her status as a torchbearer for the so .. Screen Daily
4.0
And, frankly, I wouldnt want to be in her crew, either shes too pathological for our uncomplicated empathy.
3.4
Fish Tank is still a fulfilling movie; it just doesnt redefine womens coming of age films in the way it ambitiously attempts to. Paste Magazine
4.0
Arnold works wonders almost everywhere in this film: the drip drop drabness of kitchen sink drama is stilled, alive, and newly dangerous. Telegraph
4.0
Fish Tank, a social drama at once bucolic and grimy, draws a magnificent performance from newcomer Katie Jarvis, who plays Mia, a fierce tempered, bee .. Telegraph
2.5
Even as it stands, Fish Tank is a valuable movie, though it aspires to a social insight it doesnt attain and a psychological penetration it wont maint .. San Francisco Chronicle
4.0
A vivid portrayal of life at societys margins with a compelling turn from newcomer Jarvis. Little wonder it scored at Cannes.
3.8
To the scripts credit, when the climax comes it feels inevitable yet surprising too that ideal combination. The Globe And Mail
4.4
Fish Tank digs around in its protagonists psyche, unafraid to explore. Its oppressive and claustrophobic, confused and scary in there. But its also co .. Philly
3.0
An intense film about the messy coming of age misadventures of an angry and unhappy English working class teenager. Spirituality And Practice
1.5
The movie turns stiff and pat, leaving us manipulated by Arnolds desire to give her hapless heroine the worst life she can think of, followed by a gre .. Village Voice
4.4
It may be that Connor has ulterior motives in showing kindness to Mia but, if thats the case, she doesnt notice them (and neither does Joanne). ReelViews
4.4
Andrea Arnolds follow up to her excellent debut feature Red Road is just as mysterious and powerful; its like a lower class version of An Education bu .. Combust Ible Celluloid
1.5
Unfolds as a conventional coming of age story, yet Andrea Arnold hasnt altered her persuasively jaundiced view of men, who seem as pitifully helpless .. Chicago Reader
2.0
Arnold doesnt present a very optimistic view of the world, but it is not one without hope.
4.4
Jarvis debut performance is a bracingly authentic revelation. She was discovered by filmmakers in a train station as she fought with her boyfriend, an .. Usa Today
3.0
How moved you are by the hidden grace of getting by in the gutter probably will depend how well you tolerate a poignant/laughable late scene of mother .. News Review
4.0
Arnold controls this simmering tension as adroitly as she did in her first film: its a real skill to present quite unpleasant characters and then reve .. Independent
4.0
Fish Tank is a kitchen sink drama with themes of alienation and sexual repression explored by a picaresque female protagonist. Independent
4.4
Katie Jarvis, 18, hits you like a shot in the heart with her sensational breakout performance. And cheers to director Andrea Arnold, who flies on her .. Rolling Stone
4.5
This is an almost unnervingly naturalistic look at a teens life, anchored by a fierce central performance. Shadows On The Wall
3.5
Plenty of films have presented us with the Angry Young Man but not so many with the Angry Young Woman ...Andrea Arnold does her bit to help correct th .. Pop Matters
5.0
Beautifully written, stunningly directed drama with a terrific, breakout performance from newcomer Katie Jarvis Fish Tank is one of the best films of .. View London
4.0
Fish Tank, for all its faults and vagaries, brings us up close to a fully realized human being, and thats revivifying. Cs Monitor
3.8
Fish Tank is grim, to be sure, but it leaves us with a feeling of hopefulness. New York Post
2.5
The one really compelling reason to see it is the startlingly vivid performance of Katie Jarvis, a newcomer. Deseret News (Salt Lake Ci ..
3.8
With a bare minimum of dialogue none of which I can print Arnold establishes Mias barren environment and the hope and fury that war beneath the surfac .. Boston
4.0
Far from lamenting the plight of the underclass, the film is unusually candid about the allure of a setting where civilised standards hardly apply, wh .. Smh
4.9
Her 12 year old sister Tyler (Rebecca Griffiths) isnt far behind, smoking and cursing like some Cockney stevedore. Npr
4.5
arvelously disturbing... There is nothing but unrefined authenticity on display here, in yet another astonishing example of the new British cinematic ..
4.4
The aptly titled Fish Tank has the contours of a coming of age saga, although its not a conventional one by any means. Toronto Star
2.0
The second feature of the gifted Andrea Arnold is a powerful portrait of a girls nascent, troubled sexuality, well acted by Kate Jarvis. Emanuellevy
1.5
Fish Tank is a forceful, deeply depressing movie, less enjoyable than Arnolds Red Road, but not quite as pessimistic. Guardian
5.0
Andrea Arnold has demonstrated her mastery and fluency in the social realist idiom, and simply makes it fizz with life. Guardian
1.5
Shes someone real to project nave vulnerability beneath a tough patina. Reel Talk Reviews
1.0
Dreary and unoriginal, like hundreds of its sub Ken Loach predecessors, this is how Billy Elliott might have turned out had it been made by a collecti .. Daily Mail
4.5
Im telling you here and now to seek out Fish Tank, either at a big city theater or via VOD, because its absolute dynamite. Salon
4.5
Physically reminiscent of a young Kevin Kline, hes long limbed and sad eyed, impossible to stop watching. Slate
4.5
Its a tough film and while the ground covered does not bring any surprises, the journey we take is filled with gritty realism and the outcomes realist ..
4.5
Ms. Arnolds chief talent is the way she makes us understand and even sympathize with both their flaws and attributes. The people in Fish Tank are neit .. Observer
2.0
While its not exactly fun watching this unloved young girl inflict suffering on herself and others, it is totally compelling. Movies
4.5
Fish Tank may begin as a patch of lower class chaos, but it turns into a commanding, emotionally satisfying movie, comparable to such youth in trouble .. New Yorker
4.0
Jarvis, hitherto a non professional actor, delivers a performance of such astringent surliness that it fairly strips the fabric from the cinema screen .. The Irish Times
5.0
Like Red Road this is raw, unfussy filmmaking, often unbearably tense with exceptional scenes conveying strong emotions characters would rather keep b .. Total Film
4.0
The brilliant power of the film comes from the gritty reality Arnold creates. Calendar Live
2.0
Arnold is able to strip away artifice from her material by allowing her actors behaviors to take center stage. Coles Mithey
4.0
Why Not: Reviews have been mixed at best and thats because this movie isnt going to be for everyone.
4.5
With Fish Tank, s made her best film so far, and in the process, reinforced just how glad I am I didnt have any daughters. Hit Fix
4.0
Every scene is visually striking. More importantly, theres not a line of dialogue or performance that feels false. Boxoffice Magazine
4.5
A well shot and uniformly well acted film which draws the audience in by an increasingly tense and dramatic narrative. Film Ink
4.0
The strength of the script and the direction throughout is surpassed by the skill of all the lead performers, and especially Jarvis, who elevates what .. Digital Spy
3.5
Performances are excellent but this is an exceptionally grim experience. Abc
4.5
Arnold is still a director to watch: the film is fragile, and not faultless: but while Streetdance 3D is raging uptown, do take a look at this one to .. Abc
4.5
It doesnt always worktheres some clumsy symbolism involving a tied up horsebut it gives the film a sweep that builds toward a finale of startling powe .. The Stranger
4.5
It works because of the immediacy of Andrea Arnolds filmmaking and the jittery vitality of the central performance by a young actress named Katie Jarv .. Hollywood And Fine
4.0
Great acting throughout the cast, raw energy and poignant imagery are surely what secured Fish Tank the jury prize at this years Cannes Film Festival. The Sun
2.0
Its a pungent display of teenage life, but Fish Tank achieves sublime emotional candor, gripping tightly with an electric cinematic hold. Brian Or Ndorf
4.5
miraculous study of adolescence... putting honest, raw, pained humanity before our eyes without apology. Antagony & Ecstasy
4.0
At least it doesnt feel as tedious as The Road which treaded similar ground. Nyc Movie Guru
4.5
in response to that old parental chestnut I dont know whats wrong with you, shes stating the obvious. Film Comment
4.0
Jarvis is the discovery of the year, while Arnold has just stepped up into the same league as those masters of kitchen sink classics, Ken Loach and Al .. Sky
4.5
Katie Jarvis acting debut in Fish Tank is the most enriching, engaging and enervating thing to happen to British film since Trainspotting. Sbs
4.0
Arnold draws flawless performances from her cast while making exemplary choices with her camera. Entertainment Times Online ..
4.0
Its only her second feature film, but with Fish Tank, the British director Andrea Arnold demonstrates that she more than deserves her place in a Canne .. Entertainment Times Online ..
4.0
Reveals the incidental arrival of the first trickles of emerging maturity. Window To The Movies
5.0
Visually striking but never stylised, its simply astonishing to find a film thats such a hard hitting smack in the mouth, yet, at the same time, a mar .. Metro
4.5
Agritty, gripping drama that boasts a terrific performance by newcomer Katie Jarvis. What So
4.0
Mia is not treated like an overly clever ingnue (as in An Education) or as a pious, almost impossibly well adjusted soul (as in Precious) or worse, as .. Streaming Quickflix
4.5
In fact, her name is Mia, shes 15 years old and shes played phenomenally wellindeed, almost unaccountably wellby Katie Jarvis, whod never acted before .. Wsj
4.0
Theres something ferocious and brave about Mia that makes her very winning. Jam! Movies
1.5
But ultimately theres Mias self awareness and attitude to deal with, keyed to Bobby Womacks version of California Dreamin. East Bay Express
4.0
A quietly intense, strikingly shot coming of age drama, Fish Tank establishes Andrea Arnold as a lyrical chronicler of marginalised Britain. Film4
4.5
The film is formally brilliant, but it doesnt have the breathtaking openness of Fish Tank. Ny Mag
4.0
Katie Jarvis, who plays the 15 year old Mia, was discovered in a provincial train station after having an argument with her boyfriend. Shes never acte .. M Tv
4.5
Connor does nothing to defuse it, Mia doesnt quite know what to do with it, and we know that it must lead somewhere, and it wont be good. Future Movies
4.5
Not finely polished like a big budget film, Fish Tanks ability to connect with audiences is reflected in the multiple awards the film, its director an .. Trespass Mag
4.4
No one escapes untainted, but thanks to Arnolds lucid, edgy, detached naturalistic style, no one watching can escape feeling both empathy and uneasine .. Boston Phoenix
2.0
Alas, that same cinematography also often proves self consciously accentuated, leading to a stylistic unevenness to match the filmmakers jagged storyt .. Nicks Chager
4.5
Fish Tank could easily have turned into a maudlin and overly heart wrenching tale, but its gritty and tough instead, just like its heroine. Vulture
1.5
Her half of the film plays like a below par rom com, so heres the question: is the good half good enough Probably, yes, but then I would watch Meryl r .. Spectator
3.0
Writer director Andrea Arnold, working in British lower class realism, still finds wondrous moments of connection in Mias life. Detroit News
3.0
A disappointing sophomore effort for Arnold, who demonstrated a flair for unpredictable, atmospheric filmmaking with Red Road. Metromix.com
0.5
This knee jerk pathos is a reflex from both Americas Reagan era hip hop and Englands Thatcher era miserabilist pop. Call it Automatic Pity. Ny Press
3.0
Arnold nails the gnarled world of Mia: by product of a neglectful mother, and a landscape awash in booze and deprived of the educational and fiscal me .. Patrick Nabarro
3.8
Always vibrantly alive, teeming with energy and a raw, compelling power. From the Front Row
3.0
Andrea Arnold puts all her eggs in one basket in this film and the thin storyline fails to carry the day. Monsters And Critics
2.0
The film becomes a caricature of arthouse miserabilism, which asserts that the only truths are the ugly ones. Reel Times: Reflections on ..
4.0
Fish Tank doesnt give you much to smile about. But the fact this country has the raw talent to produce a film like this is a reason to be cheerful. News Of The World
4.4
Watching the film twists a knot in your gut, but Fish Tank moves to an ending that feels both satisfying and natural. Host Madison
2.0
Fish Tank walks well trod ground, but its still riveting from start to finish. Deep Focus
4.0
Fish Tank feels electrifyingly bold. And yet, taken as a whole, its frustrating. This Is London
4.5
DiCaprio gives an utterly compelling performance, showing that, while he may never achieve De Niros greatness, hes a worthy heir as Scorseses perennia .. Ma Cleans
4.0
There are moments of athletic grace, as Mia dances in an abandoned flat to her Discman; and a closing image, of a floating heart balloon, which does l .. Un Cut
4.5
Isnt that what we mostly go to the movies to see when we pay to see drama Stories that touch our hearts and minds in a relatable way and in doing so a .. Movie Retriever
5.0
Fish Tank takes you to places you never expected and, with pitch perfect performances all round, makes for a beguiling and very real picture that conj .. Daily Mirror (UK)
4.0
Katie Jarvis is achingly good. Fish Tank is unremittingly bleak, but somehow, allows room for hope. World Film About
4.5
Arnolds script and camera close in and tear apart ideas of the poor, youth, and what makes a good man. Dork Shelf
4.2
Fish Tank is a very strong effort at every level, and should signal great things to come for all involved. Bloody good movie. Djardine Blogspot
4.0
The film is remarkable for its depth. Its not drilling in a message about the hopelessness of poverty, nor is it stylising the lifestyle of those livi .. What Culture
4.0
Its an absolute credit to her that she is able to evoke sympathy and empathy for such a prickly and volatile screen character. Perth Now
3.0
... a film whose originality and reflection of reality, as well as absolute rawness will leave you with a bittersweet taste in your mouth.
1.5
In many ways, this is the ugly, lumpen version of last years An Education, which has many similar story elements.
4.0
The working class British context sets up expectations for a stern dose of Loach style social realism but Fish Tank is more stylized than Red Ken woul .. eye WEEKLY
4.0
The film gains everything when it takes on the trappings of a thriller. As the teenager takes the fight to suburbia, there is a shocking sense of spat ..
4.0
Fish Tank is a simple but incredibly, almost unbelievably, powerful film. No man or woman with warm blood in their body will come away from it feeling ..
4.5
Fish Tank is full of surprises, twisting and turning like a teenage girl trying to escape the clutches of an unwanted suitor.
4.5
Writer director Andrea Arnold has created something so real and raw, you may come away with a twinge of guilty voyeurism, a sense of peering too close ..



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