Fish Tank (2009)

Mia and Connor

 This is a mid-shot from the film 'Fish Tank' which is a British set and produced teen angst film. Being a British coming of age film means that it is a counter type as most teen angst films are usually set in an American school and around the American lifestyle. However, in this the film the main plot is about a girl, Mia Williams, who lives in a flat in a lower class part of England and has had troubles at school and has been suspended. She also doesn't have many friends and nobody really appreciates her. In addition she argues with her family a lot, including her mother. These things are all stereotypical of the teen angst genre but are emphasised and exaggerated more than usual in 'Fish Tank'. This is because it is set in England and so the USP is British social realism. Mia turns to drink whenever she can as this helps her to reduce her stress and forget about her problems. Many teenagers do this but most only do it socially and do not do it on their own. The main event in the film is that Mia tries to steal her mum's new boyfriend. She does this successfully and her mum doesn't blame her boyfriend but blames her daughter. It is stereotypical that a teenage girl has problems when it comes to love and is interested in a guy but it is not usually her mums boyfriend.

Joanne

The main characters in the film are; Mia (below), the girl who is suspended from school and steals her mother's boyfriend. She is violent, troubled and unaccepted by many people. This is supported by the fact that in the film she headbutted a girl because of her dancing and that she is suspended from school. She ends up sleeping with her mother's boyfriend who then regrets sleeping with her. The next character is Tyler, who is Mia's sister. She is younger than Mia although they argue a lot. Tyler is in trouble less with both her peers and the school. Another main character is Joanne (above), Tyler and Mia's mother. She is portrayed to the audience as a counter type as she does not act very responsible since she acts promiscuously. She is also not a very caring character as when her boyfriend sleeps with her daughter, she puts the blame onto her daughter. The other main character is Connor who is Joanne's boyfriend. However during the film Mia and Connor start talking and eventually end up together. This is the main reason for Mia's falling out with her family and friends. Connor is a stereotype as he is good looking, dark haired and tall love interest in the film. However he is also a counter type as usually the love interest in teen angst films are usually young and at school as this is the age of the main character such as Mia but also because the audience can relate to this more. However Connor is much older than Mia and so this is unusual for teen angst films. The last main character is another love interest in the film who is more of a stereotype to the teen angst genre called Billy. Billy and Mia meet when Mia finds a horse and is taunted and abused by Billy's brothers. Billy and Mia eventually move to Wales.

Mia

An example of the gangs shown in Fish Tank

The main settings in the films are estates in Essex/London. The estate in Essex is particularly "rough" or lower class and are stereo typically high in crime, gang culture and not looking particularly attractive due to it being quite rundown. This is supported by the picture above, it is predominately urban and doesn't look attractive or somewhere that the higher class would choose to live. This is the type of estate that Mia grew up on by living in a flat. This adds to the USP of the film, the British social realism. This means that estates in Britain are portrayed in films as somewhere that isn't very glamorous or pleasant to grow up and that life can be tough and doesn't come easy. However most Hollywood produced teen angst films show a character growing in america and focuses on the school/social life of the character progressively getting better.

Most of the mise en scene in this film connotes a negative effect on the life that the characters live. For example, when inside their home, the lighting is mostly low key lighting foreshadowing the negative view on life many of the characters have, particularly Mia. Many of the actors in the film are from or lived in Britain compared to actors in big Hollywood films who are usually from America. This is usually done as the actors know what life is like in their respected country and so in small, British, independent films such as fink tank, the British social Realism and stereotyping can be as accurate as possible. Also in small, independent films, many of the actors are not big names in the acting community and so are often not as popular whereas big Hollywood films can afford to pay popular actors/actresses and so attract a larger audience who are interested in watching these actors/actresses. This means that independent films have to rely on other USPs.The only appropriate examples of iconography are that Mia is shown with alcohol and it portrays to the audience that she drinks regularly. This connotes that she is troubled/she has many worries which is stereotypical of teen angst characters. It also shows the audience that this is a common sight/experience on estates in Britain. Other examples of iconography for British made teen angst films is that the estates look run down. This is down by litter, rundown shops, and damaged property/furniture.