Cannes 2009 Day 3: Life’s a Bitch in Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank

Borrowing from the 50’s/60’s kitchen sink films, borrowing the lead actress (Kierston Wareing) from Ken Loach‘s last picture and borrowing from the spirits and miserable life settings that afflicted her previous female characters in short film Wasp, and the voyeuristic Red Road, Andrea Arnold offers such a rich character portrayal featuring newbie actress Katie Jarvis who becomes the poster child for a maligned adolescence and just as difficult childhood. Though there is an overuse of metaphors and symbolism to re-confirm the obvious, this contains all the rich trimmings of a film that never lets up: I was often found myself comparing Fish Tank to the work of the Dardennes, specifically their visual and narrative treatment of Rosetta. Arnold is a filmmaker worth keeping tabs on – look for my full length review coming soon.