Fish Tank - film review
A heartwarming tale of contemporary family life in a modern housing estate on the Essex/London border.
Mia lives with her sister Tyler and their mother in a compact apartment with off-street parking, in which they pursue their mutual interests - watching TV, listening to music, smoking and drinking. They show their affection for each other in the traditional manner, through a constant stream of verbal abuse, swearing and fighting.
Mia's social worker drops in occasionally to arrange a place at a special school and a youth referral unit, but the youngster is reluctant to engage with this process, and remains resolutely outside of the care system. Mia instead directs her efforts towards dancing, and attempting to steal a horse from the local travellers, camped on a nearby brownfield site.
Her mother's latest live-in lover Connor provides some encouragement for Mia in her aspirations to become a dancer, as well as petty cash to support her under-age drinking. However, Connor realises his enthusiasm has gone too far when he engages in consensual sex with the 15 year old on the sofa late one night, and he returns to his own wife and daughter early the next morning. This development leaves both Mia and her mother distraught, but salvation for Mia comes in the form of Kyle, one of the travellers she has been tormenting, whose newly restored Volvo 940 GLE 2.3 LPT estate is ready to carry her away to new adventures far from the Thames Gateway.
Shot on location amongst the housing estates and marshlands of south Essex, the film is a reminder of the drama and beauty that exists right on our doorsteps.
Essential Viewing.