76. Jellyfish; movie review

JELLYFISH
Cert 15
101 mins
BBFC advice: Contains very strong language, strong sex references, scene of sexual violence

I have almost reached my 5,000th movie of the everyfilm odyssey and I cannot recall seeing a better low-budget British movie.
Such is its high standard that if I had been told that Jellyfish was a follow-up to Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake or a companion piece to Paddy Considine's Tyrannosaur, I would have certainly believed it.
I loved both of those incisive essays into the reality of benefit Britain and was equally entranced by this.
The key was that Jellyfish's makers were totally focused on their target and had a brilliant young actress to bring their vision to life.
Liv Hill is truly outstanding as Sarah Taylor, a 15-year-old, who is disengaged from school and her fellow pupils because her chaotic home life demands the exhaustion of her softer skills.
Her mother, portrayed by the superb Sinead Matthews, has lost touch with reality because of mental illness - therefore, Sarah has to bring up her brother (Henry Lile) and sister (Jemima Newman).
She also has to bring in money so, once the kids are settled after school, she works for a pittance at the local arcade and gives ugly old men hand-jobs to supplement her wages.
Jellyfish (I don't know what that is the title) is set in Margate, a faded seaside resort where more than one in five people are on benefits.
The only hope for young people to break out of the poverty trap is the prospect of stardom they perceive is being offered by the X-Factor or Britain's Got Talent.
Therefore, there is a focus on the school drama group in which children try to seek a way out and Sarah merely joins as relief from her chaotic life.
Indeed, when anyone engages with her, all she offers is a string of four-letter worded put-down lines.
Her smart mouth usually gets her into trouble but her quick-thinking teacher (Cyril Nri) suggests she use it in a stand-up comedy act.
Initially, Sarah is sceptical but sees inspiration in the likes of Frankie Boyle and intends to play along.
Sadly, however, life gets in the way.
Director James Gardner has set the bar for low-budget British movies by keeping the attention on a fabulous cast and not being distracted by too many locations or camerawork nuances.
Instead, the wonderful dialogue he wrote with Simon Lord is allowed to breathe and the poignant social points are allowed to hit home.

Reasons to watch: Gritty, brilliant social comment
Reasons to avoid: The bad language will make some baulk

Laughs: A couple of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know? Some 5.4% of the adult population in Margate is claiming benefit compared to a national average of 3.3%

The final word. Liv Hill: "It has been a bit of a whirlwind. Of course, I’ve got ambitions. Not to get awards. Ambitions to really do something. I was 16 when I did Three Girls and Jellyfish. I felt like that year was just dreams coming true. It felt like that’s enough, for now.” Guardian

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