The World According to Andrea Arnold

Returning from a long hiatus due to living in a Spanish town with very limited internet…

I love Andrea Arnold. Her films are completely, unapologetically herself – and succeed because of it. I was so happy to hear that she was directing the second season of “Big Little Lies” that I almost forgot I didn’t want a second season! If Katherants had a filmmaker of the week segment, I guess you could say this is that.

I am always blown away by her casting – approaching Sasha Lane (of “American Honey”) on a beach and getting her to be in her movie was both crazy and awesome. She knows what she wants for her films and she finds it. Her films are full of people that look like they could be your next-door neighbor. And not a caricatured, inflated version of that but your actual next-door neighbor. You feel as if her worlds and characters exist in the world you live in.

So, without further ado, my favorites of her work:

3. Wasp

Winner of the 2004 Academy Award for live action short and definitely worth a watch. A look into an area of England rarely seen on screen (this is something that Arnold has a lot in her film).

https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2011/09/08/wasp/

2. American Honey

This was my introduction to her work and single-handedly restarted my love for film in high school. It is so raw. The performances are incredible, the colors are incredible, the story both heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. A personal favorite scene is the one when Star hitchhikes with the kind truck driver and they listen to Bruce Springsteen.

1. Fish Tank

A coming of age story but so much more…the performances in this film are literally mind-blowing. Michael Fassbender and Katie Jarvis are incredible. All of Arnold’s films have the tendency to remain on your mind for weeks after you watch them and this one is no different. I find myself coming back to scenes in this movie over and over again, and while it is definitely not easy to watch it is worth it.