I'm not sure this really brings anything new to the kitchen sink style of filmmaking, but it's pretty damn good. Mia is an intriguing character, due largely in part to Katie Jarvis' strong performance. I also thought Kierston Wareing was very good. What I appreciated most about this film was that it could show you a lot of truly awful things, but never wallows in miserabilism. Throughout is a note of hope, minor joys that touch the characters without sacrificing realism. Love the soundtrack.

a very powerful, hyper-realist movie about the f**ed up life of 15 years old teenager who wanna dance... unfortunately the last part is a bit sloppy...

Looked good. Story felt a little contrived at times, a few characters seemed a little one dimensional (the mom... oh wait I forgot that dancing scene came and swooped in at the very last second and fleshed her out completely, nvm) ...But jeez laweez did the film look good on criterion BR. Ain't no Mike Leigh at the end of the day.

A far more compelling version of AN EDUCATION.

Containing most random dog-name ever.

Surprisingly less moody and lyrical than Red Road, with a more resolutely gritty social realist sensibility (although with a few poetic flourishes here and there). The story feels awfully familiar (did someone say Somersault?), and you can see where it's going from a mile away, but really i have to admit that Arnold handles this material pretty brilliantly.

An incredible film... we were talking about it for days afterwards

It's pretty predictable (keep in mind I'm a pretty vacant person here) save for a couple of choice parts, but it's surprisingly good. A person I talked to said this looked like Step Up: White Trash, and I'd say that's wayyyy off the mark. There's a lot more than just bad dancing here, and the performances are almost all great (the camerwork is as well).

Grim and very depressing - it had a feel of The Dardenne Brother's Rosetta. A real insight into the unloved youth.

This knee-jerk pathos is a reflex from both America's Reagan-era hip-hop and England's Thatcher-era miserabilist pop. Call it Automatic Pity.

I cared about this angry kid, and this makes for a very tense watch, as we wait for something terrible to happen to her. It's also very moving when she gets some kindness from her mum's new boyfriend. Leanly, beautifully shot, with a perfect evocative diagetic soundtrack. There's hope for British film yet.

Watch out world, here comes Katie Jarvis! An incredible performance by the teen who portrays the foul mouthed Mia with great charisma. You never get the background for this little family living in a somewhat ghetto-ish neighbourhood, but the film gives you hints every once in a while. Not a huge fan of the overall structure, but some of the scenes are breathtaking and leaves you both with horror and joy while Mia tries to get away from her life, but like a fish, she keeps bumping into the glass!

"The British director's filmmaking style is precise and concise, as tight and lean as her teenage heroine." - Lauren Wissot

Never been so moved in so many ways, mostly uncomfortable ones, by a film in a very, very long time.

Really good. Very aesthetically pleasing, and the story is told well. Definitely looking forward to watching Red Road now, and will follow Andrea Arnold's future projects. And oh, gotta show some love for the main character's potty-mouthed little sister, gave some much needed comic relief.

A young girl with ambitous dreams learns the hard way

Kitchen sink realism almost on par with Loach's. Unfortunately, the movie loses its way in the last third. Jarvis performance is a bit overrated, I feel. Fassbender is one to watch, though.

Between this and last year's An Education, I'm starting to sense a pattern... still, very well-made, building slowly to a climax that skirts just this way of melodrama, and if you're into social porn you could do a lot worse.

Harsh drama about teen age confusion. Delivered through engaging plot and shabby settings, with fantastic performance from Fassbender and Jarvis, Fish Tank could have been great, but lost it trues essence somewhere at the end.

Incredible film. It's use of lighting in so many scenes was amazing. Fassbender and Jarvis are amazing in this.

Very realistic portrayal with an underlying sensilibity. Great performance by Katie Jarvis.

favorite line (comic): say hello to the whales for me! favorite line (poignant): she was sixteen.....it was her time. aka: an education ( no slight intended towards lone sherfig's film ) overall impression: an interesting and gritty coming of age story. has a noteworthy soundtrack with two highlights being...james brown's get up offa that thing and bobby womack's cover of california dreamin.

Thirteen + An Education + Step Up = Fish Tank. May be the worst film in the Criterion Collection. Fassbender is the only redeeming aspect of this run-of-the-mill teen girl gone wild story. Why all the hype? There is nothing here.