(Case Study) British Social Realism - Fish Tank

Social realist films give us a representative image of what life in Britain is actually like. They usually portray characters in their everyday routine, the difficulties they face and their struggles to cope with their lives. Fish tank is a film about a teenage girl (Mia) who lives with her single mother and little sister in a council flat in East London. She doesn't have much friends or goes to school, but she is passionate about street dance.

The film uses ambient sound which isn't always in the field of vision such as police sirens, birds and engines. This makes the film more realistic and gives us the impression that there are other actions happening in the setting even if it is not seen. The sound volume is quite low so that we focus on the current action which is in view. The film hardly uses any non-diegetic music because they want to make the film look as realistic as possible by showing what life is actually like for ordinary British people.

Dialogue through diegetic sound is important in social realist films. The main character (Mia) speaks in a cockney accent which is commonly spoken in Barking & Dagenham. Words such as "butterz" and "rank" are used in the film which is usually used by teenagers in Barking & Dagenham area. People from other regional areas would never have heard of these words before and find it difficult to understand because it may only apply to that specific area. This can give a negative stereotype to teenagers in Barking & Dagenham and represent them as uneducated. Mia's mum's boyfriend has an Irish accent. He says "You need sortin' out you do' and Mia replies "...You don't know nuffin' so why should I listen?". This contrasts with Mia's cockney accent and shows that he does not fit in the regional area and his opinions are not important. It also shows Mia has bad attitude and represents teenage girls as rude and gives negative stereotype of them.

There's a tracking shot as we see Mia walking, the camera is also shaky. This creates a dramatic effect allowing us to follow the character and make the scene more realistic. The shaky camera draws the audience in as if we are in the actual scene watching Mia. For the same reason, it may be why there are not much editing shots in this particular scene.

We see a match on action cut of Mia running up the stairs away from her troubles and her mum's angry reaction denoted by her facial expressions. We see a close up of Mia shouting "You're whats wrong with me!" which represents her as argumentative which gives a negative stereotype to teenage girls. The shot cuts to a low angle of her mother to represent her as weak and vulnerable. He facial expression is blank which connotes that it may be her fault that her daughter has got a bad attitude as a response. This gives a negative connotation of the woman and it can also signify that she isn't being a good mother. It is an accurate stereotype that single mothers living in council estates are unable to take good care of their children and be good role models.

We see a few jump cuts as Mia is dancing to an R&B/grime song on the TV. This is to show her fast action in dancing and so we pay attention to it. This gives a positive representation of Mia because she has an interest and has talent in dancing. We see a mid shot of Mia's mum's boyfriend saying "You dance like a black...it's a compliment". This gives us the impression that black people in Britain are the best dancers and gives a positive stereotype of them and it is an accurate stereotype that they are best at street dancing.

We see a long shot of Britain's environment which looks quite dirty with rubbish on the floor of cans and wrappers. This represents Britain as unhealthy and British people as careless which gives off a negative representation. It is common that a few places usually have rubbish on floor and the environment isn't completely 'perfect'. The lighting is also natural which reinforces the realistic view of Britain.

There is also graffiti on a fence. This is seen as an iconic sign which connotes teenagers are able to cause crime and damage the environment. This gives a negative stereotype to teenagers that they are criminals. This may only be accurate for the working class who mainly live in council estates.

Info about Fish Tank:
- Written and directed by Andrea Arnold
- Katie Jarvis, who plays Mia, was spotted at Tilbury station arguing with her boyfriend which caught the casting assistant's attention to put her into the film with no acting experience
- It was funded by the UK Film Council
- It was released in the UK on 11th September 2009
- It had a gross of $373,060 in the USA
- Won the 2010 BAFTA for Best British Film

 Notes for Fish Tank: