Jellyfish

I have never written a review but felt compelled to after watching this film. I hadn't even heard of the film when my friend asked me if I wanted to go see it with the loose permise that it's about a young girl that discovers she's good at stand up.

What the film gave me instead is an unexpected emotional rollercoaster, some really uncomfortable scenes, but actually a true reflection of real life situations. There are topics covered throughout the film that many people can relate and empathise with, some more difficult than others. Liv Hill is brilliant in this and delivers a very emotive performance, and actually the stand up comedy narrative is for me not the main focus of the story, it's more that she finds solace in it as an escape for everything else she has to deal with. The main story for me is relationships, and having to navigate these to try and lead a normal life when it's anything but normal.

This is not a film for kids at all, but I highly recommend watching this. Just maybe not a film to go and watch if you're already emotionally fragile...

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.

The plight of a young carer in a desperate situation is so heartbreaking. No matter her good intentions and how hard she tries nobody seems to care (except at the end). Nothing so tragic as a young life burdened with harsh realities and responsibilities for which it is not yet ready, certainly not emotionally. Film was far from perfect and hard to watch, still it has heart and I loved it.

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.

I saw this at the Edinburgh film festival. The first film for this director, and I expected not to like it as the subject matter is not what I would normally see at the cinema, I was really surprised at how good it was. The story of a 15 year old girl struggling to keep her family going and the toll it took upon her personally. The acting was excellent, and the direction and editing mature and very well executed. There were a couple of scenes which really made me wince, but nothing was gratuitous and they served to emphasise the points they were making-the loss of control for someone who is still a child but forced to try and make her way in an adult world with no support. The supporting characters were well realised and added to the film as a whole.

Go and see it. It's not an 'easy ride' but well worth persevering with. The ending, which I will not spoil, is to some extent what the viewer makes of it. See it to see what I mean!