A Phenomenology of Girlhood: Being Mia in Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009)

Abstract

In October 2009, David Cameron, then leader of the Opposition, attempted to persuade voters to entrust him to help mend Britain’s broken society.1 The elements of his Conservative party’s discourse of “broken Britain” consist of single mothers, poor education, anti-social behavior, alcohol abuse, teenage sex, and lack of employment. This is the world of Fish Tank: a depiction of contemporary Essex housing-estate culture, in which 15-year-old Mia “swims frustrated circles, like a shark in a tank.”2 Mia is played by amateur actor Katie Jarvis, and her sullenness and rage are the beating heart of the film. Fish Tank may appear to suggest that Mia is a prime example of contemporary broken British culture, but it is a shot across the bows of such misperceptions, announcing that girls like Mia should not be dismissed or underestimated. The film achieves this by creating Mia’s very particular experiences at this pivotal point in her young life, and evoking the rhythms and relationships of this 15-year-old girl in her place in contemporary British society.