“Fish Tank” - Analysis By: Unknown 2 comments

‘Fish Tank’ is a british feature film of the social realism genre which was written and directed by Andrea Arnold and produced by Nick Laws, Kees Kasander, Christine Langan and David M. Thompson. It stars Katie Jarvis as the fifteen year old, female protagonist Mia, as well as Kierston Wareing and Michael Fassbender as secondary characters. It was produced by BBC films, UK film Council and Kasander film company and distributed by IFC films. The budget for the film was £1.8 million and since it’s release in September 2009, it has made £1.5 million, won twenty awards and been nominated for a further twenty five.

Whilst watching this film, there were many noticeable similarities between ‘Fish Tank’ and another of Arnold’s films I watched recently called ‘Wasp’. Although Wasp was a short, rather than a feature, it was still easy to see some similarities within both the narrative and the main themes of the films. First and foremost, the most obvious similarity would be the genre, as both films are of the 'Social Realism' genre and secondly, the common themes  between them such as family, parenthood and responsibility are also notable. Likewise, they are both set in poor council estates in the UK and star young, female protagonists. Furthermore both films begin with conflict, which in both cases is a fight and they both include dysfunctional mother/daughter relationships. Similarly, in both films someone lies to another person by saying that don't have kids in order to maintain a relationship with said person, however at the end of both films, the truth is revealed. Finally, some technical similarities include the similar colour palette throughout and the limited use of a non - diegetic soundtrack which sets them apart from the typical 'Hollywood movie'.

In 'Fish Tank' many important and meaningful themes are demonstrated through the use of microfeatures, however a particularly poignant one is the theme of relationships; both romantic and platonic. An example of this would be the use of a warm colour palette, oranges and yellows and low key mood lighting to foreshadow sexual scenes. Furthermore, in the living room scene, this use of lighting and the silence before Connor and Mia’s kiss is effective in building a tense atmosphere which is intensified further when they hear a noise from outside the room that makes them think someone has seen or heard them.

Furthermore, Mia’s relationship with Connor is also effectively represented through the use of cinematography in other parts of the film. For example, the P.O.V shots of her looking at connor  when she looks at him through the camera and from underneath her arm when she is pretending to be asleep. Likewise, it is evident from the moment they meet in the kitchen and we view Connor’s topless body and watch him walk up the stairs from Mia’s point of view, that she is clearly interested in him, despite what she says the following day about him being ‘a donkey nob’ and ‘a dick’.

This love/hate relationship also continues when Connor spanks her playfully towards the beginning of the film, and then when he hits her again at the end of the film but this time it’s across the face and for a serious reason. In fact throughout the whole film their dysfunctional relationship is presented through the use of microfeatures; in particular cinematography and performance. For example the close up on her eyes which allows the audience to see Mia’s emotions when she is thinking about him. Likewise, the more distant proxemics between them at the beginning of the film and then the closer and closer they get as the film goes on.

Furthermore, the repetitive use of the song ‘california dreamin’ being used during scenes such the car journey, sexual scene between them, and Mia's audition also holds significant importance within their relationship, however once Mia finds out this meaningful song suddenly holds such bad connotations for her, which is why, walking away whilst that song is playing the audition scene, acts as a symbol for walking away from Connor, just like he walked away from her during the long shot just after he hit her to the ground.

Another important relationship within the film is that of Connor and Mia’s mum, Joanne. It is easy to assume, from both of their lack of clothing at the beginning of the film, that they have a very comfortable, open and trusting relationship, however, although we can clearly tell that Joanne has strong feelings for Connor from her puffy, red eyes which suggest that she’s been crying after she found out he’d left, his feelings for her were somewhat questionable. This is shown only later on in the film when we find out that he has been cheating on his wife with her, but not telling her he even had a wife or daughter, showing a clear lack of trust, and equally, or perhaps even more importantly, him sleeping with her underrage daughter.

This lack of clothes mentioned above, is also present in the dance scene at the beginning of the film in the dress of both the males and females suggest the sexual nature of the film to come.

Another major theme within ‘Fish Tank’ which also includes a relationship involving Joanne, is that of Joanne and Mia.  This is the theme of family, in regards to both parenthood and childhood.

It is interesting to note that the first glimpse of Joanne that we see is her shouting, screaming and shoving Mia, which is our first introduction to their dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship as well as the ‘type’ of mother that Joanne is. These traits are later reflected through the language and behavior that Mia displays towards Connor’s daughter Kiera in the abduction scene.

At the end of the film however, I was surprised to see the rather touching scene between Mia, her mother and her sister where they’re dancing together before Mia leaves for Cardiff. In my opinion, I believe this is the first time that a real loving relationship is ever really demonstrated between them. The way they move so in sync with each other, like two parts of the same woman, suggests that perhaps they have more in common than any of us first thought. It could also suggests their strength and independence and women free of the lies and constraints of loving Connor.

In regards to Mia’s younger sister Tyler, the touching moment here is when Mia’s about to get into the car and Tyler says “I hate you.” and Mia replies “I hate you too.” Before kissing her on the forehead.  This suggests that they do truly love and care for each other, but yet again, that even their relationship is to an extent, dysfunctional.

A slightly less obvious but equally important theme is the theme of ‘Lies and secrets’. This is shown predominantly through the use of performance. For example, the way her mum changes from being really smiley and friendly when she greets connor during the party scene, to really harsh and rude when she pinches and snarls at Mia to get out of sight. This change in character and her ability to put on a different face in front of others in order to hide her true feelings is representative of how quickly the characters in this film can change, and how everything you think you know about a character can so quickly turn out to be untrue; just like what happened with Connor.

In regards to Connor’s character, it is interesting to note how during the scene where Mia comes to his work for the second time and asks him for money, he lies about not having any without even blinking an eyelid. As though foreshadowing the future, this therefore shows how easy it is for him to lie about other matters too.

Another obvious scene which is supported by the clever use of microfeatures in this film is ‘Conflict’. This is introduced right from the very beginning of the film and resurfaces often throughout.

This conflict is shown through the physical and verbal abuse and struggles between several of the characters and is further displayed as Mia interacts with others, such as the group of girls one of which she head butts. This behaviour is what first introduces the audience to the theme of conflict and her angry, defensive nature.

The use of cinematography, editing and sound is also used to create tension which further cements the theme of conflict. For example, the high speed editing - particularly used within scenes of physical conflict - create a sense of adrenaline and excitement, likewise with the use of a fast tracking shot when she’s running away from her attackers, which show the speed and intensity of the moment.

Furthermore, it is interesting to note the way that conflict can be presented through mise en scene elements such a as costume. For example; during the fight mentioned above, Mia was wearing light clothing yet the boys were dressed in predominantly dark colours. Likewise, when Mia is taking Kiera away, Kiera’s light, pink princess dress represents innocence and ‘good’, which clearly contradicts mia’s black attire which represents the ‘bad’, ‘scary’ character that has possessed her during the abduction.

This use of colour isn’t only reflected in costume, but also by the cinematographer during the lighting of the scene. For example, only black and grey colouring being used as Connor is chasing Mia after she returns Kiera home as this is an extremely tense, upsetting and overall negative moment, which is why dark, low saturated colours are appropriate. Similarly, when black/green is used in this film it is usually to suggest something bad or serious is about to happen, for example; when Mia hears her mother and Connor from the other room and stops watching her recording to investigate further.

Going back to the conflicting chase between Mia and Kiera, which proves a tragic act of impulse,  the use of cinematography is effective in showing the status of the characters and panic of the moment.

For example, the low angle shot shot from beneath the trees as they're walking through the woods, makes keira look vulnerable, but also dominated. Perhaps even by Rachel. Additionally, the sun too is being blocked by the trees in these woods, just like the ‘good’ of kiera is being shut out by me, too. Finally the recurring use of shaky handheld camera footage is extremely  effective as it allows the audience to feel either the relaxed or conflicting atmosphere at the time.

Now, although sounds are very successful in creating a conflicting atmosphere, for example, the painfully sound of the train pulling up and Connor’s car screeching to a halt, silence can also often been particularly effective in doing this. For example, during long awkward silences, where the characters are conflicted about their emotions and how to word them, but also when the film goes from being really loud, for example, when there is non diegetic music playing and then the scene suddenly straight cuts to an image of a wind turbine which is effective as it is very contrasting, which is an important type of conflict.

Mia’s angry, defensive nature also reinforces the themes of ‘anger’, ‘jealousy’ and ‘brokenness’. These are often demonstrated through performance, for example; Mia slamming the door shut multiple times and urinating in Connor’s living room both of which show her rage and jealousy towards connor and his relationships with others, this could also tie in with the sound of a storm during the film, as the storm could also represent this angry storm of emotion inside of her. This is known as pathetic fallacy; the weather mirroring a character's emotions

Likewise, it isn’t difficult to see that Mia is untrusting and doesn’t want to open up to people, as almost every time someone tries to talk to her, even if it’s Connor, she constantly holds an distrustful expression; a furrowed her brow and straight face and she is constantly picking an argument with whoever she can as a defence mechanism for her insecurities. The fact that seeing Mia smile is rare in this film is actually very effective, as it makes it far more meaningful when she does than if another other character were to. This is idea is also supported by Connor’s character when he says to promise him one thing; that’ll she’ll smile during the audition, as she looks so much nicer when she does.  However, what he doesn’t realise is the only time she really was happy and smiling was with him, and he lied and betrayed her, which ended up making her do the exact opposite of what he asked her to do; instead all he did was stir up the anger, jealousy and brokenness inside of her.

Furthermore, sound and editing were also effective in demonstrating these themes, for example, the enhanced sound of breathing which shows someone becoming increasingly frustrated, the car brakes screeching to a halt at a great speed, which suggests that the driver is too angry to be careful with their driving and therefore connotes trouble and danger to come, and the sound of dog barking during the fight scene which subconsciously intensifies the fight for the audience as they are getting more and more on edge due to the harsh, painful noise without even realising. This makes the scene feel even more intense, scary and uncomfortable to view. Likewise, lots of straight cuts which interject the sound with silence, for example when a straight cut is used to go directly from a loud scene to a silent weather shot.

These extreme long/weather shots which appear rather often in the film, along with the lighting used in said shot, can be useful in establishing the scene and creating a mood in the film. For example, when they are in the beautiful outdoor lake setting, there is high key lighting throughout as it is a happy enjoyable place to be and in contrast to this, when there are more negative times at hand, for example the fight scene between Mia and connor at the end, the lighting is very low key.

After he chases her a hits her down, she sits down on the ground tired, scared and upset. The use of an extreme long shot here is effective as it helps to enhance her feeling of isolation; alone in the middle of this strange unknown field it shows, the expanse of empty space around her and therefore how alone she is now both physically and emotionally. The sad colour schemes used here are similar, but much darker, than the blues and greys used when she is alone in her ‘Fish Tank’ dance scenes back home.

An interesting moment set in that room is near the beginning of the film where there is an over the shoulder shot  out of the window to show her isolation from the world, and perhaps her longing to belong. This also acts as an establishing shot.

Likewise, when she is on stage at her audition feeling broken and alone, we see an over the shoulder shot of her looking at the two judges and all the other girls that are there to audition and we can feel how scared, confused and embarrassed she feels as the spotlight is beaming down on her, like the gaze of the entire crowd, willing her to move, willing her to fail, and in the end she does what Mia does best and walks away from the situation.  

In terms of brokenness, the bullet hole in the horse box symbolises everything in her life that is broken and shattered. For her, the horse, who had been continuously resurfacing throughout the film, was the last straw as it is the first moment that she truly broke down and expressed her emotions.

Perhaps one of the most important themes in this film is that of poverty and social class, which are explored through the use of microfeatures in a number of ways. For example, the first glimpse of the mother sets the scene of the social background as she is shouting and screaming, expelling many violent characteristics. This immediately establishes the fact that the setting contains a degree of disequilibrium. Furthermore, the social status of the main characters is also shown in regards to the level of responsibility that the mother takes with her children. For example, alcohol continually resurfaces which hints at their social class as those of a high class may be less likely to let young children consume alcohol.

The use of clothing is also used to hint at the social class of the characters. For example, Mia’s continuous wear of tracksuits allows her to fit in with the stereotype of lower class people who wear similar clothes. Likewise, when she enters Connor’s more middle class estate, a resident there the woman uses a nuance by looking Mia up and down, as the way she is dressed is so clearly out of place in this new setting, which is a juxtaposition compared to her shabby council estate back home.

Furthermore, the use of language from not only her but also her mother, sister and neighbours is particularly strong. This use of informal and offensive dialect, is a clear reflection of their social class; especially when it comes to the children using such a language, something which would be seen as taboo in a higher class family or area. This is just one example of her separation from Connor and his perfect middle class family, which puts her ‘back in her place’ almost, her place in society as an underclass citizen.

The theme of growing up in regards to responsibility and independence, expands on a questionable secondary genre of this film; ‘coming of age’, and is shown by the continuous contrasts between childish innocence and brutal adulthood.

For example, towards the end of the film we see a camera recording of Keira singing which is a happy and innocent act, and, at the beginning of the film, on the same camera we also saw a recording of Mia dancing, which is yet another happy, innocent act. This likens the two girls, almost making it seem like Mia is watching herself in the video; naive and ignorant to Connor’s betrayal, which both of the girls were.

This childlike comparison, is also apparent when we view Mia through her mum’s mirror, like the stereotypical daughter who plays dress up with her mum's makeup applying way too much, way too heavy. Moreover, not long afterwards when she had passed out on her mum’s bed, she is carried to bed by Connor like a young child. This shows both her innocence and vulnerability, as well as his paternal role.  

It is interesting to note that whilst she went to get something from inside the flat before she left once again, she left the door wide open. This could show her ‘fearlessness’ as it is quite a rough area and she’s got a good few enemies, yet she is still prepared to leave herself open to them.

On the other hand however, this could suggest that she’s still quite naive and irresponsible, often putting herself and the ones around her into danger, whether intentionally or not.

Her childlike nature is also apparent in the scene when she is with Billy and he is finding and fixing his car. During their time there, she is constantly looking around the place nervously and asking him when they can get out of there. This suggests that perhaps she is not as fearless and brave as we might have first though, and therefore she is still a young, vulnerable person in need of protection like any other child.

Likewise, the way that she laughs and jokes around with Billy when they’re drunk shows a childish, happy side to her which is why, when she approaches Connor at his workplace by jumping on his back, Connor scolds her harshly like a father would do his daughter, and to me, this is the first time we can really see a distinct age difference between the two of them.

Furthermore, as their exchange continues and he questions her about being drunk, she jokily denies it by shaking her head and smiling ‘No’ which is the most playful we have seen her outside of the dancing scenes. This whole conversation really makes Mia seem so much younger and more vulnerable than him for the first time so far in the film.

Finally, It is interesting to note that at the end of the film when Kiera is hitting Mia and shouting ‘Get off me! Get off me!”, it is exactly the same as what Mia was doing and saying during the fight scene between her and the boys at the caravan park at the beginning of the film. By drawing this similarity between two supposedly opposite characters, it could suggest that perhaps Mia is more vulnerable, childlike and innocent than we first thought, and that perhaps she was  the victim in this story; forced to grow up too fast by the harsh realities of the adult world. On the other hand however, this could suggest that perhaps at the beginning of the film she was more youthful and innocent but from what she was forced to learn throughout the film, it turned her into someone unfeeling; someone able to attack an innocent young girl not too dissimilar from herself that short time ago.

To conclude, in ‘Fish Tank’, micro features are not only used to represent the themes of the film, but also to reinforce the genre of ‘social realism’. Examples of this include the shaky handheld camera movements, the small talk, silences and diegetic music during the car journey, which was realistically long compared to the length it would be in any other film, other scenes and sections of dialogue also being elongated, the enhancing of everyday sounds such as traffic and the wind,  the explicit language and sexual scenes not being filtered or censored, the use of point of view shots, the low speed editing to show realism and high speed editing during more tense scenes and the lack of non diegetic sound, music and soundtrack. So, overall it is clear to see that the use of micro features is effective in ‘Fish Tank’ in order to create meaning within the film.