'Fish Tank' - Andrea Arnold

Director and Writer - Andrea Arnold
Year - 2009
Starring - Katie Jarvis and Michael Fassbender (known for 300, X Men)


Watched downstairs, without parents, as I didn't think they'd enjoy it - on a Thursday night. I bought the DVD last week after seeing it on BBC iPlayer but never getting a chance to watch it. 
The film was quite dark, and what would be described as 'gritty'. Set on a council estate in Essex, it follows the story of Mia, a fifteen year old girl with an abusive mother who seems to prefer partying to looking after her and her younger sister.
Mia is a street dancer, and with the encouragement of her mum's new boyfriend she enters a local competition to land a spot dancing in a club.
The film explores the shady themes of neglect and poverty, and due to this and some explicit scenes involving the teenage girl and her mum's much older boyfriend, I'd definitely say that this isn't a light hearted film. It's a BBC film, but hasn't been shown before 10pm, so not a family film. I think the kind of audiences 'Fish Tank' would attract would be either teens who enjoyed programmes such as 'Skins', or 'Kidulthood' - programmes that have a similar feel to them. Not a film to recommend if someone wants a light hearted watch, I'd say that it suits more of a British audience than an American one, due to the hard nature of the film.