Fifteen-year-old Sarah Taylor exists in the eye of the storm. The sole caretaker of her family, including precocious twin siblings and a manic-depressive mother who spends most of her time in bed, Sarah runs from school to home to work each and every day. Yet, despite her Herculean efforts to put food on the table and keep the electricity on, she is still forced to engage with more dehumanizing ways to make a few extra bucks—so it’s no wonder that her back is up among her peers at school. Jellyfish tells the story of Sarah’s discovery of an unexpected outlet for her frustration and quick-tempered wit: stand-up comedy.

First-time feature film director James Gardner paints a dark and hard-edged picture of life in this grey seaside British town, and, in newcomer Liv Hill, he uncovers a revelatory talent. Thanks to her fiercely evocative and vulnerable depiction of Sarah, Hill gives the audience truly remarkable insight into a young woman living a life far beyond her years.

—Liza Domnitz