Fish Tank and Kidulthood Analysis

1) Who is being represented in terms of identity?

Fish Tank
In Fish Tank youths are being represented, Females in particular. However Males are also partially represented. These youths are of the Lower/Working class and live on a council estate (Urban). It is not only teens who are represented but also younger children (the protagonists little sister).

Kidulthood
In Kidulthood it is youths who are being represented (Teens) who live on council estates (Urban). These teens are of Lower/Working class. Both genders are represented, neither one nor the other is more dominant as there are multiple scenes dedicated to the female characters.

2)Who is representing them?

Fish Tank
In Fish Tank the director is representing the youths in the film. This film is used to put acrooss the views of the director who is an Adult.

Kidulthood
In Kidulthood Adam Deacon is representing the characters in this way. This is because a youth/young adult he believes that he can relate to youth behaviour and is putting it across the way that he sees the Youth situation.

3)How are they represented?

Fish Tank
They are represented as foul mouthed, violent and troublesome. Also, they have conflict witht their own identity (past against present) trying to break free of the chains which bind them (attempting to break the horse free). The characters are also represented as defient and thieving. Even the little children smoke, swear and act older than their age which erases any innocence which they may have.

Kidulthood
They are represented as very loud and illiterate, using a lot of colloquialism when talking instead of good English. The youths are also represented as permiscuous, violent thugs who act older than their age. The females in this film also take drugs, get pregnant when under age, talk about permiscuous topics aswell as take part in sexual actions and get pregnant while under age. This shows that the females are no better than the males and are not 'Ladies' like they once were, more animals.

4)What seems to be the intentions of the representation?

Fish Tank
The representation seems to be trying to put a message across to youths that there is always a chance to change and that there is always hope no matter how bad things are or how bad things get. It is a realistic representation so that it has more of an impact on the audeince and the audience take it alot more seriously.

Kidulthood
The representation seems to be very exaggorated and purely for entertainment purposes unlike Fish Tank. There are many realistic events which take place in the film but overall the film is very eaggorated and turn these serious events which take place on the streets of London into comedy.

5)What is the dominant discourse? (World view offered by the film)

6)What range of readings are there?
Fish Tank
One reading of this film is that a message is trying to be put across andf that the film is realistic in order to have an effect. Youths may see this and take the text seriously, taking the message which is encoded into the text in to account. However, adults may watch this film and create their own stereotypical view of youths, believing that all youths from these environments or social classes are like this. This will create prejudice and maybe even discrimination.

Kidulthood
One reading of this film will be from adults. Much like with Fidsh Tank the adults will create their own stereotypical view of youths which may cause discrimination and/or prejudice. However as Kidulthood is significantly more exaggorated than Fish Tank, this film will have a stronger effect on the adult target audience affecting their views alot more. However, for youths, this film may be seen as comedy and not taken very seriously.