Comparison of the Social Realist films Fish Tank and The

Selfish Giant.
There are similarities within both of these films due to the
genre of film they both fall under: (British) Social Realism. Each
carries certain themes/conventions of
this genre, for example, the
presentation of an unequal society,
alcohol/drug abuse and unhealthy
relationships and they both strive for
realism through continuity editing, a
focus on diegetic sound and linear
structures. There is little variation in the
conventions they use, however, 'Fish
Tank' contains a sexual element which
'The Selfish Giant' lacks, focusing instead
on a different corruption of childish
innocence. 'The Selfish Giant' was
directed and written
by Clio Barnard who
was inspired to produce the contemporary movie
because of Oscar Wilde's fable. In the film, two
young boys attempt to escape poverty but
fail when their aspirations are corrupted by
greed and deception. 'Fish Tank' was
produced in 2009, four years before 'The
Selfish Giant', written and directed by
Andrea Arnold, the film centers around the
protagonist Mia, who lives on an Essex
council estate with her broken family. Both
films focus on the effects of poverty and
although they use stereotypes often found within
unsympathetic media presentations of the working class they
both give their characters a sense of humanity, allowing the
audience to empathize and care for them.
When it came to producing these films there are common
factors, 'Fish Tank' had a budget of two million pounds, a
portion of this budget coming from the BFI (70,000) and it was
shot within 30 days. 'The Selfish Giant' had a budget of 1.4
million pounds and most of this budget was received from the
BFI also. A Hollywood Blockbuster has an average budget of

$200 million, British Social realist films like these are not
produced through a vertically integrated structure, this means
that they will have a considerably smaller budget but will be
able to have creative freedom, regional issues and a
genre/conventions targeting a niche audience. This can be
seen within both of these films, as they have not been limited
by an international audience or a budget which poses a
significant risk.
Each film has something in common with the setting they use.
The setting used within 'The Selfish Giant' is Yorkshire, not
associated with wealth. The council estate in which the two
main characters live is run down and although the setting is
rural there is a sense of post-industrial deterioration. The use of
the school in comparison to the estate or the scrapyard
highlights the difference between the lives of the working class
and the middle class. This is further foregrounded in the
costume, speech and body language of characters like the
police officers, teachers and school
receptionist. The female police
officer's line ''unscrupulous people
out there getting kids to do their
dirty work'' not only adds a sense
of education to her character but
also morals. This gap between the
working and middle class is also
present within 'Fish Tank', symbolized in the contrast of Tilbury
and Mia's estate, and in the costume and lines of Mia's sister
compared to Conor's daughter.
There is a scene within Fish Tank in which Mia visits Conor
when he is working. The over the shoulder shot used here
presents a strong and symbolic contrast
between the working and middle class. A
stereotypical representation of working class
people is established through the lack of
education or employment within Mias family.
Whereas Conor works, lives in a better area and has a
seemingly perfect family.
The pair both use a mix of available light, in the form of natural
light and props (torches), as well as discreet lighting for scenes

shot at night, for example, when Mia is chased through a field

at night there is lighting to make only the essential details
visible as well as when Arbour and Swifty hide on the train
track, this unobtrusive use of light adds to the realism.
To make the film engaging and to give the characters
redemptive qualities there is an interesting and strong
relationship between the two main characters established early
on in the film, this relationship is symbolized within the action
of the boys holding hands, it demands empathy from the film's
audience, addresses the innocence which the boys still have
and breaks the stereotype of all relationships that a working
class person has as being broken, however, sometimes the
relationships within the film are stereotypical. For example, the
abusive relationship between Swifty's parents, the subverted
relationships between older and younger siblings as well as
between parents and their children and the lack of relationship
between Arbour and his missing father. Mias relationship with
her family is very similar to Arbours relationship with Swifty
because of it Mia, a stereotype, is given more humanity.
However, her relationships are still broken, this is seen within
the closing shots when her sister, unable to say that she loves
Mia, says instead that she hates her.

The two films have incorporated stereotypical costume,

language and behavior into their main characters. Arbour and
Mia both have behavioral problems, seen within their impulsive
behavior and immaturity. Arbour's stereotypical behavior is
reinforced within the prop of his tablets as well as his
sometimes violent actions, Mia's within her kidnapping of a
child in place of expressing her emotions verbally. Both
characters are given almost animalistic qualities. Both films
have used an animal, more specifically a horse, to give their
audience a way to understand
the main characters or to act
as a catalyst. For Arbour
Kittens horse Diesel drives a
wedge between him and
Swifty, the emotional
connection between Swifty and
the horse and the escapism he has through interacting with the
animal is something Arbour cannot recreate with the scrap
metal or the money he earns.
For Fish Tanks protagonist the horse is used
to
To further build upon realism both directors
incorporated improvisation into filming,
Barnard based Arbour and Swifty off of two
young boys who made money from scrap metal and Arnold cast
the unprofessional Katie Jarvis as Mia after watching her have
an argument.
Within both films, there is a lack of non-diegetic sound. Fish
Tank's protagonist Mia is a character who is presented through
dance and music but every soundtrack is carefully chosen to
support her background and is diegetic. In 'The Selfish Giant'
music is not given such an important role compared to that of
setting and diegetic sound is essential in giving characters who
do not express feelings
Another reason for the absence of non-diegetic sound is
realism, the tension within a scene is made more effective by
loud diegetic sound or silence. Editing is also used to add
realism to each film through continuity and a linear structure of
shots, the longer length of the shots is also used to create the
same effect in both films. In either film, there is a lack of

unrealistic camera shots, most of the shots are tracking shots,

close-ups, handheld or two-shots.
In conclusion, both films present their
working class characters in stereotypical
but also sympathetic lights. They closely
follow conventions of the Social Realist
genre, more specifically British Social
Realism and present overlooked or
unpopular parts of society as well as
social issues. They also closely adhere to realism.