Fish Tank: Key Scenes Analysis

Fish Tank: Key Scenes Analysis

Sex Scene -> 1:09:00 – 1:18:30

Scene	Micro features	Narrative features and ideological analysis
1:09:00 – 1:18:00 Connor has sex with Mia	Lighting Golden low-key lighting – use of chiaroscuro Cinematography Close up of Mia when she drinks the vodka Extreme close up of Mia’s mouth, hands and feet during the sex scene Sound Lack of non-diegetic sound during the sex scene Mise-en-scene Connor’s body language – sprawled on the settee with his foot on the coffee table – relaxed, dominant Cinematography Shot sizes – Connor tends to be shown in medium to medium long shot with the camera at his eyeline – shallow depth of field is used so that Mia is unfocused and he is focused – so that the attention is on his gaze – also, when Mia dances, she is foregrounded, so that the spectator focuses on her body – it becomes, through the diegetic audience (Connor, a site of passivity and objectification However, Mia tends to be shown in CU or MCU, often at ¾ angle or in profile, with no over-the-shoulder shot from Connor’s perspective Cinematography Medium two-shot of Mia and Connor on settee Cinematography and Mise-en-scene Connor sprawled on settee – high angle medium shot – props = bottle of vodka between his thighs	When they have sex, the lighting is golden – however, when Connor leaves, he goes into the darkened hallway – as if the room where they have sex is part of fantasy/the subconscious – when he leaves, he leaves the fantasy behind – she wakes the next morning with raw, unfiltered natural lighting flooding through the window – the dream is over. The lighting represents the Freudian ‘uncanny’ – both familiar but strangely alien Lighting connotes warmth and security – Mia feels comfortable with Connor Lighting also parallels/matches the scene in which Connor takes Mia to bed – also has a fantastical/phantasmagorical feel to it Lighting has connotations of stagelights – Mia performs her dance routine for Connor – this is paralleled later when she performs in front of Val at the audition – Connor tells Mia she looks nice with her hair down; Val asks that she also puts it down during the audition – therefore, Mia’s dancing here is akin to a lap dance. She is repulsed by it – binary opposition between her innocence and vulnerability, and the persona/role she attempts to fulfil throughout the film – on the threshold between childhood and adulthood This represents fragmentation of Mia’s body – an over-investment in parts of the female body – in this way, Mia becomes commodified as a whole, unified body – however, these body pa4rts are not the standard eroticised female body parts (thighs, breasts, midriff etc.) – rather, they also symbolise her vulnerability – none more so than her foot/ankle which still bears the grazes of her trip to the river – Connor himself patched up her injuries in a paternal way The lack of nudity is deliberate by Arnold – it is not exploitative and not intended to arouse scopophilia. Instead, there is a feeling that Connor is simply using Mia for his own sexual gratification – for the spectator, the response is one of uncomfortable trespass Adds to the feeling of discomfort – the spectator has no auditory signals signposting their response – therefore, we are left feeling intrusive and uncomfortable – exaggerates, within the silence, the heavy breathing, gasps etc. Even though it is not his house, Connor has dominion over it. He controls what was an entirely female space – afterwards, he makes the act of sexual congress seem trivial – he dismisses it as insignificant by stating, “I’m wasted”. It is a lot more significant for Mia – she has no agency; she is made to appear more vulnerable In terms of suture, this is not a classic shot/reverse shot because there is an imbalance between perspectives – the spectator is encouraged to empathise with Mia, and not to share Connor’s perspective – Arnold seems to be challenging us – perhaps she is challenging the notion of the male gaze – forcing us both to gaze upon her, but also to empathise with her, so that we become conscious of our own objectification of her – especially true for older male audiences. Mia is passive – she does nothing to pursue Connor – he brings her to him Vodka bottle = penis/phallic imagery – Mia is living in a patriarchal society in which she is objectified by the male. Therefore, phallic imagery comes to represent the patriarch – literally, the father. In Oedipal terms, Connor represents the potential sexual partner but also, in lieu of the biological father, the ersatz father. Binary opposition is created by the conflict Mia feels between father/lover.

https://padlet.com/yuval_proud/jycusgdwgnta -> Padlet of key scenes from other blogs:
Key scenes include:
- Opening
- Mia meets Connor
- Mia attacked by Joanne
- Car scene
- Connor & Joanne's sexual relations
- Dance scene
- End scene