Fish Tank
Dir: Andrea Arnold
2010
*****
2010's Fish Tank is the second fantastically gritty drama from the brilliant Andrea Arnold. Katie Jarvis was perfect in the lead role, I think casting someone with no acting experience or training was a bold move but it really payed off as her schizophrenic approach is both thrilling and somewhat authentic of certain youth these days, making for a very believable drama. Post modern Neo-realism without all the existential nonsense, the way all modern day dramas should be filmed in my humble opinion. In 2010 Andrea Arnold had only a short film and one feature under her belt but you would think she'd been directing for decades. It looks as effortless as it is effective, shooting chronologically so that her inexperienced star could better understand the character is something unheard of but it totally works. Forward thinking, inexpensive and outstanding cinema, something that film lovers should all support a little more.