To what extent can the contemporary British films "Fish Tank" and "Harry Brown" be said to offer negative representation of youth ? 


These British films 'Fish Tank' and 'Harry Brown' both represent youth in a negative light through micro elements such as the environment/set, costumes and collective identity alongside the story line filled with violence and crime. Collective identity refers to a set of individuals' sense of belonging to the group or collective. For the individual, the identity derived from the collective shapes a part of his or hers personal identity. A collective identity may have been first constructed by outsiders who still enforce it, but depends on some acceptance by those to whom it is applied.


The film 'Fish Tank' shows this negative representation throughout the whole film through all types of micro elements. The film is set mostly on a council estate surrounded by high rise flats and a run down environment. This clearly represents poverty which is then also shown through the costumes throughout. Most of the characters in the film are dressed in dull grey tracksuits and trainers along with gold chains and drawstring bags. These costume elements also represent the stereo-typical 'Chav' or 'Hoody' which is the modern nickname for a young person who gets in trouble and is lower class. The film begins with an upbeat, urban music track which represents what today's youth listen too while showing a young girl street/break dancing on her own in an empty rundown flat with a bottle of cider on the windowsill. The film 'Harry Brown' also highlights and represents these same elements as we seen in 'Harry Brown' the film is also set on a council estate filled with graffiti on walls and gangs hanging around on the streets.