FishTank

 

Fish Tank

Production context 

Fish Tank is a 2009 British drama film written and directed by Andrea Arnold. The film is about Mia Williams, a volatile and socially isolated 15-year-old who lives with her single mother, Joanne. The mother's new boyfriend, Conor, becomes attracted to Mia and has sex with her. This film follows the life of Mia and shows not only what her obstacles are, but all her attempt to overcome them. This is the fifth film by the director Andrea Arnold; following Milk (1998), Dog(2001), Wasp (2003) and Red Road (2006). From all these films prior to fish tank Andrea Arnold not only managed to gain her work publicity, but also a number of awards including an Oscar for best live action short film. Fish Tank was funded by BBC Films and UK Film Council and was shot and set in Tilbury in Essex. Prior to this, Katie Jarvis, the actress that plays Mia had no previous acting experience and was in fact noticed by one of the casting assistance while on the phone at a train station, shouting at her boyfriend. I think that making the choice to cast an unknown actress gives the audience the chance to connect with the story instead of preconceived ideas about the film because due to the actor or actresses. 

Themes 

Even though on the surface this film may come across not relatable due to the fact that it seems to only incorporate a particular demographic; the white working class, however when looked at in detail it is clear Andrea Arnold ensured that there were a number of themes that are not only relatable but also some of which are not not normally presented in film and television. These of which include 

• Love
• Violence 
• Rape
• Abuse 
• Relationships
• Revenge 
• Isolation 
• Independence 
• Friendships 
• Gender Representation 
• Poverty 
• Class 

Narrative Structure                                                                                                                                                        

There's a theory which suggests that nearly all films and books follow a particular structure, of which the protagonist goes through a number of stages between the beginning of the narrative and the end. This consists of:

1. Equilibrium
2. The disruption
3. .Realisation 
4. Attempt to resolve 
5. Return to equilibrium 

The opening scene when Mia headbuts one of her friend's new friends can be described as the equilibrium since it is suggest throughout the scene that the levels of isolation Mia seems to show throughout the scene is the norm. 

The scene where Mia and Connor have sex is the disruption scene because from this things in Mia's life begins to change. 

 

The scene when Conor drops Mia to the train station. This because in this scene Conor explicitly explains to Mia that they cannot be together due to the fact that she is too young (15). 

The scene that can be associated where Mia tries to resolve is when she takes Conor's daughter as a sort of revenge, However, after the daughter nearly drowns in the water, Mia realises that the little girl is not just a tool to get back and Conor with and so therefore takes her home. 

The scene near the end when Mia is dancing with her mum and can described a return to the equilibrium. The is due to the fact they are seen dancing, which is the first thing that we see Mia do in the whole film. It also also seen as a return to the norm due to the dialogue they're using, which suggests that they always talk to each other like that.