Mia is the 15 year old daughter of a single mother. She appears to be at war with the world, lashing out at all comers with verbal and physical abuse. But we are allowed glimpses of a different Mia in her aspirations to become a dancer. And we see a very different Mia when she meets her mother's new boyfriend. Security guard Connor is sexy and soft-hearted, and a wary Mia can't help but blossom under his gaze. (...)
Maintaining a style established with Red Road, Andrea Arnold favours handheld
camerawork that stresses the cramped spaces of Mia’s daily life and the way in which she is trapped. Fish Tank also underlines Arnold’s ability to secure the best from her actors: Newcomer Katie Jarvis is every bit as impressive as Mia, finding the vulnerability of the teenager without recourse to sentimentality or surrendering any of her anger or sarcasm. (Allan Hunter)