81
Metascore
31 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumThe amazingly natural first-timer was discovered, in a gift of publicity-ready truth, while having an argument with her boyfriend at a train station.
- 90New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinArnold's first feature, "Red Road" (2006), centers on another outsider, a woman who monitors security cameras. The film is formally brilliant, but it doesn't have the breathtaking openness of Fish Tank.
- 90SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirAbsolute dynamite.
- 90VarietyVarietyWhat makes the picture feel special is its unflinching honesty and lack of sentimentality or moralizing, along with assured direction and excellent performances.
- 80EmpireEmpireA vivid portrayal of life at society's margins with a compelling turn from newcomer Jarvis. Little wonder it scored at Cannes.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterRay BennettThe Hollywood ReporterRay BennettThe film belongs to Jarvis, however, and she makes the most of it with expressive features that convey Mia's mixed-up emotions from raging temper to sweet vulnerability. She will go far.
- 80The New YorkerDavid DenbyThe New YorkerDavid DenbyFish tank may begin as a patch of lower-class chaos, but it turns into a commanding, emotionally satisfying movie, comparable to such youth-in-trouble classics as "The 400 Blows." [18 Jan. 2010, p. 83]
- 67The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayIn that way, Jarvis is a lot like Arnold: an artist who knows the steps, but doesn't yet have all the moves.
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceJarvis gives a ferociously persuasive performance in an otherwise routine tale of domestic disaster.
- 40Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichA grimy kitchen-sink melodrama with an Ajax cleanser script: The muck is all surface, the turmoil cleanly shallow and contrived, though never less than gripping.