By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Andrea Arnold
Starring: Charlotte Collins | Harry Treadaway | Jason Maza | Katie Jarvis | Kierston Wearing | Michael Fassbender
Country: united_kingdom
Year: 2010
Running time: 123
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232776/
Michael says: “After her triumphant first feature, RED ROAD, which won lead actress Kate Dickie a Chlotrudis Best Actress Award, writer/director Andrea Arnold returns with another powerful drama about a young woman’s desire this time in blue-collar Britain. Mia doesn’t put up with much, not her peer group on the streets, not the thugs who seem to be mistreating a horse in a nearby lot, and not her partying, young mother, and the only emotional release she finds is when she cranks the music and practices her dancing. One morning she’s dancing in the kitchen when she surprised by the appearance of her Mum’s new boyfriend; a very atractive, shirtless boyfriend whose jeans barely hang on this his hips at that. Connor is his name, and his friendly manner immediately disarms Mia even as she responds on autopilot, rebuffing his overtures of friendship. Still, the family dynamic (including Mia’s hilarious little sister Sophie) is altered with the addition of Connor, and the harsh edge so usually prevalent in their lives is softened. Naturally, things don’t last, and things take a sudden nosedive, leading to a quick maturation curve for Mia, and a wonderfully realized final scene.
Mia is played by newcomer/non-actor Katie Jarvis, who Arnold found on a train platform breaking up with her boyfriend on an opposite platform after hunting for quite a while for her Mia. The supporting cast is all excellent, especially Mia’s Mum played by Kierston Wareing. Arnold’s screenplay is taut and spares no sentiment. This is a strong coming-of-age film that deserves its accolades. 4 cats”
Thom says: “Arnold had made the earlier much-appreciated (not by me) RED ROAD but I thought this was a bit of a step-up, mainly due to its cohesion. Here a tough teen girl, who fancies herself quite the pop dancer, has a miserable home life due to her alcoholic, tramp of a mother and squalid surroundings, takes up with her mom’s latest boy friend as well as a neighbourhood lad whose brothers tried to rape her. Making the girl Mia quite unlikable it’s somewhat hard to get too involved with her tawdry story but it does have that ‘realistic’ touch that works so well in this genre. Actors Jarvis and Fassbender really shine. 3 1/2 cats ”
Chris says: Director Andrea Arnold’s follow-up to RED ROAD is decidedly less ambitious but no less captivating, suggesting she could prove a female heir to Mike Leigh and his working class, actor-focused domestic dramas. Its tough teenage protagonist, Mia (impressive newcomer Katie Jarvis) uses her love of hip-hop dancing as a means of escape from her rough housing project home and also her young, immature, uninvolved mother and exceptionally foul-mouthed little sister. Tension mounts as Mia and her mother’s charming boyfriend Connor (Michael Fassbender) develop a mutual attraction. Arnold redeems this not entirely original plot with strong performances, a poetic pace and an inspired, dense visual composition (shot in TV-like 1.33 aspect ratio, which gives the film its immediacy). The penultimate scene is exquisite in its simplicity, resonating with movements rather than words. 4 1/2 cats”
Diane says: “So glad I caught this one! Helmer and screenwriter Andrea Arnold is spot on with her take on female adolescence in a hostile environment, another entry in the genre that Ella Taylor of The Voice calls ‘the new British miserabilism.’ Noms for Katie Jarvis in lead and little sister Rebecca Griffiths, who does sassy and vulnerable equally well. The film loses one cat for the overburdened metaphor of a filthy chained horse, a contrived and overdone last section, and a continuity problem. Arnold is on to WUTHERING HEIGHTS next. 3 cats”