Jellyfish

A director and an actress to watch out for. A small film of one life that, because it could be so many of our lives, grows into a huge film. The Margate Tourist Office can't have enjoyed this film - despite being beautifully photographed, it's hardly an advert for the town. A quietly sensational film without ever being a sensationalist one. It will stay with me for a while.

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.

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

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...