Fish Tank Analysis

Fish Tank Analysis

Fish Tank was an Independent British drama released in 2009. It was written and directed by Andrea Arnold known for the short Oscar-Winning film 'Wasp'. The film contains themes of isolation, poverty and rape/grooming. It follows a working class family living in a council estate around East London. 

The film shows the life of 15 year old Mia (played by Katie Jarvis), a girl who feels alone and distant from the rest of her family.  There is a scene in which she is seen in a dark room looking out of a large window at the brightly lit world outside looks as if she is inside a fish tank. This can show that she feels trapped and alone in a glass cage. This was Katie Jarvis' first acting role. It also stars Michael Fassbender as Conor, her mum's new boyfriend. At first the audience is encouraged to like him as he is the only character who Mia opens up to and who supports her dream of dancing. However, when he grooms and takes advantage of her, the audience may think otherwise.

The world that Arnold is trying to show is bleak and grim. The outside camera shots tend to focus on the run-down old estates of East London (which is typically associated as the poorer part of London). The main character is rebellious and tends to lash out when unhappy and her younger sister repeatedly curses and there is a scene where they smoke despite their young age. What Arnold is trying to give a non-fantasy view of struggling families in England's capital. She does the same thing in her short film 'Wasp' with the poor council estates, the negligence of children and the mother caring more about her new relationship than her children's wellbeing

The film premiered at the Cannes Film festival on May 14 2009. It was widely praised by critics and audiences alike and holds a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

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