Review: Fishtank

Fishtank Analysis

The film Fishtank is a film directed towards the public to discuss a range or moral and ethical issues within society. The Youth Orientated film targets mainly a young audience to inject to them the lives of certain stereotypical teenagers.

Fishtank is a film based around an Artificial Tribe in the rough areas of London. It explores many moral issues within society today. The story follows a young girl, Mia, experiencing her childhood on the streets of London. She is surrounded by a large group of individuals who are bad influences on everybody around them. Trapped, she has nowhere to turn and gives in to the rebellious lifestyle of alcoholism and violence. The entire mise-en-scene of the film is dark, gloomy and dirty to represent the rougher areas of London.

Fishtank includes many of Ann Gould’s key stereotypes within its plot, these include: Rebellious and Violent teenagers, an Artificial Tribe, Self-destructive and Nihilistic people. The main example of these stereotypes is the Main Protagonist. Mia, 15, is the stereotypical ‘Londoner.’ With her Rebellious and destructive attitude, her rough appearance and her often result to violence; she is the perfect ‘Londoner’ stereotype.

The stereotype of ‘Rebellious’ is present within practically all of the young people within the area. The young people influenced by the streets around them rebel from their parents and anybody who tries to change their lifestyle. The main protagonist seems to be very rebellious because of her home environment. With a careless mother, Mia is alone and therefore she has to create a barrier to, in a sense, protect herself. She doesn’t have the motherly, protecting figure at home; instead she has a violent, controlling mother. This is the cause of her rebellion.

Mia’s mother is an extremely terrible influence on her and other young children around her. The character of the mother is very sexualised. In many scenes the mother is seen acting inappropriate with her seductive dancing and attitude to her partner. Not only is she portrayed in a sexual manor, the mother is also very violent and unloving towards her children. This may be the cause of the young children’s rebellion.

There is a very clear artificial tribe within the film Fishtank. This is the ‘Gang-like’ tribe. Many of the young people present in the film are all connected in the way that they all follow a particular role in society. This role is the rebellious, violent teenager. All the people present in the film are very defensive and aggressive; this is a running theme within mostly every character present. Therefore, young children would grow up around this type of behaviour, becoming like others around them, following this aggressive artificial tribe.

Throughout the entire film of Fishtank, there is a large amount of violence portrayed within and towards every character. Mia likes to pick fights with anyone she can. For example: the group of girls dancing in the street. Mia picked a fight with the girls, simply because she didn’t like what they were doing. However, I believe that there is a jealous side to her; the aggression is a barrier to hide her true feelings, as she doesn’t have the parental figure to turn to for comfort. Instead, she rebels and takes on alcoholism.

Many of the characters, especially the younger generation, are self-destructive. Their Nihilistic behaviour is the cause of their self-destruction. Many of the young children are seen in the film doing illegal things, such as: Smoking and drinking. For example: Mia is seen exchanging money for alcohol illegally. This is the cause of the artificial tribe that they’ve have been brought up in and their influences.

Overall, Fishtank portrays these stereotypes in an extremely negative way using realties such as Mia’s home environment and the other people living there. The film is trying to express the issues that may be blind to the audience, that the cause of what we may find a nuisance, is caused by a surrounding environment and other influences. With the main protagonist Mia seeming like a rough, mean person but really being just like us by having the aspirations of a dancer and also showing a loving side with the horse scenes, the film is also trying to teach the audience a lesson: to not judge a book by its cover.