Fish Tank (NR, 2010)
common sense media says
Stark, powerful drama for older teens and adults.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this British drama about a teenager who falls for her inattentive mother’s boyfriend can be relentlessly bleak at times, and its mature themes may be too intense for all but the oldest of teens. But it’s a powerful film with a heroine who’s determined and resourceful in a world with few options. There’s plenty of swearing and drinking, and not just by adults. Teens and tweens have their vices, too -- like drinking and picking fights -- and are seen indulging in them fairly frequently.
Positive role models:
Mia strives to rise above her circumstances, which is difficult, and she sometimes makes destructive choices. All the characters are flawed and, if they mean to do good, end up hurting others, including a man who appears genuinely interested in a young woman’s fate but takes action that ultimately scars her.
Violence:
A girl headbutts another and leaves her with a bloodied nose. A man slaps a teenager after she tries to kidnap his daughter. Two men manhandle a young woman after she tries to free their chained horse.
Sex:
An adult beds a teenager while her mother is passed out upstairs. He's shown removing her pants and positioning himself between her legs. A teen spies on her mother and her boyfriend while they have sex in the dark; her breasts are briefly shown, and his chest is bared. Couples dance suggestively; a teenager walks into a kitchen, where a man appears to be fondling a woman under her skirt (nothing is seen except for the hand under clothing).
Language:
Runs the gamut from “skanky” and “s--t” to “f--k” and “c--t.”
Consumerism:
Some beer labels; one of the characters is keen on stripping Volvos of parts for his own use. Certain CD covers are shown.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Both adults and children -- as young as tweens -- drink and smoke frequently.
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