![Fish Tank (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (2009)](/wp_content/uploads/2011/03/4167u68T8nL._SL500_AA300__150x150.jpg "Fish Tank (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (2009)")
FISH TANK (2009, Blu-ray released February 22, 2010 – MSRP $39.95)
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Criterion brings writer/director Andrea Arnold‘s most ambitious, most profound film to date, Fish Tank to Blu-ray in a stunning, feature-rich edition that is, for me, one of the best discs of the year thus far.
- “British director Andrea Arnold (Red Road) won the Cannes Jury Prize for the searing and invigorating FISH TANK, about a fifteen-year-old girl, Mia (electrifying newcomer Katie Jarvis), who lives with her mother and sister in the depressed housing projects of Essex. Mia’s adolescent conflicts and emerging sexuality reach boiling points when her mother’s new boyfriend (a lethally attractive Michael Fassbender [Hunger, Inglourious Basterds]) enters the picture. “
Everything about Fish Tank as a film is pitch perfect, from the authenticity of the script to the delivery of every line spoken. The film rings true as a portrait of modern lower-income Britain, where parents fend for themselves and children suffer against overwhelming odds. Jarvis’ performance is raw and heart-rending, her desperation to escape palpable in every look, every action, every dance-move she records to win that audition that could spell freedom. It’s so impressive that she’s able to express such a wide range of emotions in such a subtle performance, given her age and the disturbing tale Arnold has spun. This is one that will stick with you, long after the credits have rolled.
Criterion’s Blu-ray edition of the film is absolutely stunning. Robbie Ryan’s photography is gorgeous but I’m still slightly baffled by the choice to compose/present the film in 1.33:1, as opposed to a wider, more cinematic shape. Despite those reservations, every aspect of the transfer is damn near perfect. Blacks are deep, colours radiant and there’s a ton of fine object detail on display here. Fantastic! This is a great looking disc.
From the liner notes:
- “Supervised and approved by director Andrea Arnold, director of photography Robbie Ryan, and editor Nicolas Chaudeurge, this new digital high-definition transfer was created on ARRISCAN Film Scanner in 2K resolution from the original 35mm camera negative.“
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is clean and clear but doesn’t offer much in the way of dynamic or ambient sound. The nature of the film, however, is that of a dialogue-driven drama, and the resulting audio track seems right on the money.
From the liner notes:
- “The surround soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original digital audio master using Pro Tools HD.“
Fish Tank is notably absent a commentary track but manages to feature some great extras, nonetheless. Chief among them, for me, is the inclusion of Arnold’s three short films, from her 1998 debut, Milk, her 2001 follow-up, Dog, to her Oscar winning 2003 short, Wasp. Watching them all back to back gives a clear sense of how she grew as a writer and director, with her debut stiff and pretentious and her final short a clear thematic and stylistic preparation for her first feature Red Road and her follow-up, Fish Tank. Brilliant!
The interviews with lead actors Fassbender (audio only) and Kierston Wareing, who plays Mia’s abusive, neglectful mother, provide the only direct insight into the making of the film, with both performers often having to grapple with answering interviewers questions about Arnold’s process. It’s unfortunate that the director doesn’t appear anywhere in the special features herself, whether by way of interview, commentary track or even written introduction in the included 18-page illustrated booklet. It feels like the only thing absent from this otherwise stellar package.
Highest possible recommendation!
Special Features:
- New high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Andrea Arnold, director of photography Robbie Ryan, and editor Nicolas Chaudeurge with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- All three of Arnold’s short films: Milk (1998), Dog (2001), and the Oscar-winning Wasp (2003)
- New video interview with actor Kierston Wareing
- Interview with actor Michael Fassbender from 2009
- Audition footage
- Stills gallery by on-set photographer Holly Horner
- Original theatrical trailer
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Ian Christie
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