First Hit: This film was disturbingly good.
Katie Jarvis plays Mia a 15 year old girl who has an easily accessible temper. Just about anything sets her off and she doesn’t back down from anything.
This is set up well at the beginning of the film when a girl asks her why Mia is watching her and her friends dance, Mia walks up and head butts her. She and her younger sister are being brought up by a single mother who would rather drink, party and sleep with men than be a parent.
What is being modeled to these two kids has nothing to do with being responsible or following any rules. The Essex housing complex they live in, is home to the lower working class and families living on the dole.
This is a tough neighborhood and Mia is alone and a loner. Besides her quick temper, Mia shows a level of compassion which is displayed towards an old horse which is chained up to a cement block. She attempts to free the horse but gets caught buy some young men who physically push her around and threaten her.
Her mother Joanne (played by Kierston Wareing) brings home a new boyfriend named Connor (played by Michael Fassbender) who honestly likes the girls and tries to make good in his relationships with each of them. Mia’s escape from her life is dancing. She hip-hop dances in an abandoned room to mostly rap songs. Her dancing is the only thing that she finds any peace and solace. By reading an paper advertisement, she decides to become a professional dancer by entering a video for an audition.
Meanwhile, Connor moves in and life is a better for both the girls for a while, but as time goes on, complications arise. Mia’s angst towards Connor drives her to make some poor decisions which lead to her deciding to start a new life with a boy she hardly knows.
Jarvis is effective and believable as Mia. Although her decisions were very questionable, I thought she made the character and decisions very believable. Fassbender was also very good and brought a level of compassion and inappropriate behavior to his character. Wareing was also good as a mother who is extremely selfish and only cared about herself and not her children.
Overall: This is a strong film although the subject matter isn’t necessarily pleasant to watch.