Jellyfish

Phew that was a really really tough watch... very much like a Shane Meadows movie... harsh, grim and gritty social story with a tinge of humour and hard hitting story and ending - the young actress who played the lead was unbelievable, keep an eye on her she is going places

I've seen some reviews that portrays the teacher as 'ever dependable' and 'saviour' I disagree I thought he was self-centred and too embroiled in his show to show humanity to the main character... until it was all too late

Such a powerful film with great performances by all involved and an absolute stand out performance by Liv Hill who surely must be rewarded with some sort of award.Not easy to watch in places but this film will stay in your memory for a long long time

There were a few times while watching Jellyfish that I thought I would have to turn it off. While my own childhood experience was not as extreme as the ones seen in this film, it was close enough to make watching it quite difficult. At the same time it was so good in its performances and the intensity of emotion that I was practically compelled to keep watching. I kept thinking, the ending of this film better be damn good as that will be what makes watching it ultimately worthwhile. In this context I found the ending to be a disappointment though not inappropriate. The story of the eldest daughter of a mentally ill/narcissistic drug addict mother, and how the daughter works so hard to keep the family, including much younger twin siblings, intact and the toll this takes on her. At the same time her emotional struggles lead her to write comedy, so there is something of a silver lining. I would recommend viewing it if you desire an emotionally intense movie-watching experience which includes some nice shots of one of England's quaint seaside towns.

This is an absolutely horrendous story for starters of children who have to act and are thrown into circumstances that are far beyond their years. It's an incredibly brave film and had it not been for the credible performances, could've been extremely cringing as I have seen my fair share of amateur productions. I also think it's a really important film to be viewed by teachers and educators to understand their students as multidimensional people as opposed to how they present themselves in whatever class it is they are attending. The learners I often come into contact with come with their own emotional baggage so it really wasn't difficult to understand exactly what the great young actress was portraying. This is another recent film which has shown just how desolate British seaside towns are, or have become, & the struggles which go hand in hand with that dying and dilapidated environment.

The acting here is consistently good, with two excellent central performances: LIV HILL in the lead as a fifteen year old forced to grow up early and parent her younger siblings as well as her utterly incapable mother - who's superbly portayed in all her highs, lows and broken chaos by SINEAD MATTHEWS. Both are outstanding.