Newcomer Katie Jarvis plays Mia, a loud mouthed, angry fifteen year old living with her alcoholic mother and younger sister in a council estate in Essex. Arnold tackles the issue of 'Broken Britain' sensitively and honestly without the overly emotional and dramatic nature that we see with Shane Meadows. She has the cleared eye social realism window as the iconic, Ken Loach exhibits.
Filmed in a documentary style, the audience warms to Mia as the film progresses, we see the helplessness of her situation and begin to admire her loner status. Her world begins to get shaken up when her mother has a new boyfriend. Michael Fassbender plays Connor O'Riley, an intelligent and charismatic man who sparks a connection between Mia and himself.
On one hand, Mia has not known love all her life so when Connor begins giving her attention and positive encouragement, Mia is intrigued and tries to make sense of this. On the other hand, Connor himself is not the typical hero of the film, we learn he has a wife and child and his relations with Mia begins as a disillusioned father - daughter one.
At home, Mia's little sitter watches American programs such as MTVs Cribs and Sweet Sixteen which is clearly a well thought out sequence to outline the problem with society. Whilst spoilt teens get bought huge parties and cars for their birthday's, Mia is desperately trying to live and make sense of love and purpose.
The good bye sequence between Mia and her mother towards the end of the film is the most interesting sequence - Mia's mother is dancing to one of Mia's cd's, Mia approaches her and starts to mirror her dance movements, whilst they stare lovingly into each others eyes, Mia's sister starts mirroring them too.
This mirroring can be interpreted as the mirroring of life styles. Is their hope for Mia's future? Or will she too turn out to be like her mother? Unemployed with a drinking problem.
Whilst Mia packs her things up - Her sister cheekily asks her if she is going away to the 'special school' to which Mia replies "Nah, you can have my place" initiating that her sister will grow up to be a troubled teen as she has. This brings the audience to understand these characters and how they see the world.
Jarvis gives the film extreme depth - She is certainly an actress to look out for in the very near future.
