Fish Tank

[ComradeJing]

I watched this for the first time last night on a flight and was really, really disturbed but the mysogeny and abuse the female protagonist suffers and no one says a word.

Tbh I've tried to write this post for ages but there is just so much about it that was vile. A few choice scenes:

-15odd year old girls dancing in very brief clothing. It looks like they are just practicing but the group of young men/boys watching them makes it look like a performance for the girls.

• the way she is groomed by her mothers boyfriend who puts her in to bed drunk and takes her trousers off, spanks her (not as a serious punishment, more in a pervy way), keeps telling her she needs sorting out, sulks and is angry with her for sleeping with her boyfriend and ultimately sleeps with her whilst asking/telling her if he is better than her boyfriend, is his cock bigger etc.

-the 15 year old lead sleeps with and eventually leaves with her 19 year old boyfriend and no one blinks at the age gap, that she is underage or that she leaves with him.

Yes her home life is chaotic. Her mother is a bad parent/doesn't like her/can't cope with her.

Anyway, has anyone seen it and what were your thoughts?

The abuse and mysogeny is really minimized by the Wikipedia plot description (her attack by a group of travelors is described as a cruel game) but its there for anyone who hasn't seen the move and is

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_Tank_(film)

Gosh, that was riddled with errors. Sorry.

I loved this film and was very affected by it

I think it says it like it is for some people and leaves the viewer to come to their own conclusion

I've never heard of it. The description in wiki makes it sound pretty pointless and convoluted. You're description, comrade, certainly wouldn't make me want to rush to see it.

So often, themes like racism or sexism are not criticised in films if they are 'spun' as being arty, edgy or gritty. Going by the awards it's had and the largely unknown cast, I'd wager that's the case here. Also, I've noticed wiki doesn't call these things either, or does so very 'damply' to make it sound like a bunch of over sensitive yayhoos got a but aerated, or some such.

My hunch is portaying the lead as 15 was deliberate - under age, but sexually mature and up for it - arthouse film buff male's wet dream perhaps?

It's a great film imo and I consider myself a feminist - miss it at your peril

The film looks at life as it is - and as we all know, it's not all great out there.

The film itself is shocking - the family that teenage Mia lives in is highly disfunctional, but her character is great - vulnerable but also strong.

The director is a woman, Andrea Arnold, and the lead character is also a woman. KRITIQ your initial thoughts on this film are way off.

This is an excellent film. Shocking, disturbing, difficult to watch and very challenging. I would actually say this film is ABOUT abuse and misogyny - that's its whole theme, and it is definitely not condoning either. (I'm also speaking as a feminist).