Fish Tank

The genre of Fish Tank is social realism, which explores issues in society in a realistic way. The producers aim of this genre is to represent the underrepresented, in this case the underclass. We are given an insight and information into a world we may not be so educated about. It is shown to us in a realistic way so we feel as though we're getting a reliable insight. We see this through the use of hand held camera, non diegetic sound and shallow depth of field which are all elements that we see as realistic, a natural way for us of seeing the world. The sounds we hear are also features that relate it back to the genres concept. We hear traffic and dogs barking, children screaming in the tower block, we get a real sense of unsettled and run down locations. We see tracking shots of Mia walking through the estates, and at the start of the film we see her going to see the horse a lot.
This initial scene with the horse relates to the character and the conventions of the genre. We see close ups of her trying to break the chain its attached to, and releasing the horse. It could relate to her life, she's trying to get away from the cycle of an unloving mother, no education and false aspirations. She's trying to free the horse like she wants someone to come and free her from her life. Through the mise en scene we see the area she's in with the horse, a poorly kept field surrounded by the noise of the road, and gates around the edge of the field. This furthers the location of a run down area and no getting away, a daily struggle which is a convention of this genre.
The only real time we see no sense of struggle or unsettlement is the first time the family are together with Connor in the car. This could confirm a stereotype that women do need men. We see this through the camera angles, we mostly see through Mia's point of view, from the back of the car with Connor in the front, almost as if she's looking towards him for guidance or security. The family are happy when there is a man around. Connor acts as almost a father figure initially, but in the scene where he sleeps with Mia while her mothers drunk and sleeping, changes his character role to the false hero. Throughout the start of the film he has been grooming Mia, although we've seen him as saving the family's relationships, and it isn't until this specific scene that we realise and change our perception of Connor and his role.
The rest of the time we see no connection between the family. We see many scenes where Mia's mother is swearing at her, and drinking in front of her. She also hits Mia, which can relate to one of the very first scenes we see, where the girls are dancing outside of the tower block. We see Mia headbutt one of the girls and shout abuse at one of their fathers. This represents the lower class upbringing that she's had, and how her mothers attitude towards her has effected the way she acts. This again is a convention of the social realism genre, there is no sense of security in her life at all, its a daily struggle and she never lets her guard down unless there is a man around, and even that doesn't last.