Fish Tank

2009

Action / Drama

40
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 91% · 151 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 79% · 10K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.3/10 10 67837 67.8K

adultery friendship mother alcohol fight sister

Director

Andrea Arnold Photo
Andrea Arnold

Top cast

Michael Fassbender Photo
Michael Fassbender as Conor
Kierston Wareing Photo
Kierston Wareing as Joanne
Harry Treadaway Photo
Harry Treadaway as Billy
Anthony Geary Photo
Anthony Geary as Van Man
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
967.05 MB
1280*964
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles
23.976 fps
2 hr 3 min
Seeds 18
1.9 GB
1424*1072
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles
23.976 fps
2 hr 3 min
Seeds 49

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by drbarrera 7 / 10

The hard reality of dysfunction

This is a great film. It starts off a bit slow but I believe it serves a purpose. The filmmaker did a great job of portraying the characters in the film but exposing just enough to make the second half of the film come together in a way that helps you see the characters more deeply. Katie Jarvis did a wonderful job in painting a picture of an angry 15 year old 'Mia'. Why is she so angry? You can take a look at Kierston Wareing's character of 'Joanna', the terrible excuse for a mother that puts the needs of her children second to her own needs of looking for love and acceptance in whoever will give it to her. The mother finds this acceptance in Fassbender's character, 'Connor', who seems to be a great and unlikely catch for her. He seems to be a ray of light for the family but turns out to be just the opposite. My opinion is that the story is not about the damage the family experiences in the interaction with Connor but rather the reality that this is just one example of a series of bad decisions made by the mother that propels the children into a world of emotional pain and disappointment. It's also a picture of the cycle of dysfunction that is taking place in a family and the poor decisions that continue to keep that dysfunction in place. There is a glimmer of hope with Mia (her desire to help an old horse) but it is such a faint glimmer that it doesn't leave the viewer thinking that much will change with this family. There are some very hard hitting scenes in the movie that leave you on the edge of your seat saying, "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING!" and there are some scenes that really make you feel sorry for the characters and you can really see some of them as victims, especially the children. Overall, great movie and I highly, highly recommend it.
Reviewed by C-Younkin 7 / 10

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.
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