Fish Tank

Mia Williams is a volatile, socially isolated 15-year-old living on an East London council estate with her mother Joanne and sister Tyler. She has just fallen out with her best friend Keely and clashes with her precocious sister and verbally abusive mother. To cope, she practices hip-hop dancing alone in a deserted flat and often drinks cider beforehand. The routine marks her primary personal outlet and source of tension with her family.

Mia comes across a tethered horse in a Traveller encampment and tries to free it, showcasing her impulsiveness and compassion. She is chased by two young men who own the horse, and the encounter ends with Billy, the younger of the two, showing a fragment of sympathy. The danger highlights the fragile line between Mia’s longing for freedom and the risks around her.

Connor, Joanne's new boyfriend, is charming and notices Mia's dance moves. He invites Mia and Tyler on a day-trip to the countryside with Joanne and shows Mia how to catch a fish with her bare hands. He also introduces them to Bobby Womack's California Dreamin', establishing a fragile bond that lingers as Mia seeks his attention.

A social worker visits Joanne regarding Mia, offering a referral to a boarding unit for disengaged teens. Mia runs away from the house, seeking independence and distance from the growing scrutiny of her family. The moment sets up the looming choices about care and control in Mia's life.

In an internet cafe, Mia spots a poster advertising erotic dancers and considers a dangerous career path. Friends of Keely enter the cafe, argue with and attack Mia, and the violence underscores the hostility she faces from peers. The incident pushes Mia deeper into seeking adult attention and risk.

Mia visits Connor at his job as a security guard; he encourages her to apply for a dancing audition and lends her a video camera to record an audition. Their conversations become increasingly flirtatious, hinting at a growing, inappropriate mentorship. The seed of the secret liaison begins to take hold.

Connor later administers a flirtatious spanking to Mia when she returns, and Mia becomes jealous and angry upon overhearing Connor and her mother having sex. The power dynamics and secrecy begin to corrode Mia's sense of security. These events push her toward more reckless choices.

Mia helps Billy steal a car engine part from a junkyard, appearing to flirt as part of their uneasy bond. The act signals Mia's willingness to risk illegal behavior for connection and excitement. The partnership with Billy marks a turning point toward a future she cannot control.

The club invites Mia to perform in person after she sends in her tape. While Joanne is passed out drunk upstairs and Mia and Connor have been drinking, Connor asks to see Mia's dance routine and their interactions become increasingly flirtatious and secretive. The liaison culminates in a sexual encounter that Mia is told to keep quiet.

The morning after, Joanne cries as Connor has left, and he tells Mia he cannot see her anymore because of her age, driving her to the station. Mia tracks him to his middle-class home, where a video camera reveals footage of his partner and their young daughter Keira. She angrily urinates on Connor's living room floor and slips out again when the family returns.

Mia lingers by Connor's home and eventually leads Keira away from her family. Keira attempts to escape, and Mia catches up, pushing Keira into the River Thames when she does not stop running. Realizing what she has done, Mia helps Keira out and returns home anonymously.

Connor chases Mia down a field and forcefully slaps her after Keira's return. The confrontation underscores the dangerous consequences of their entangled relationship. It marks a violent turning point as Mia seeks distance from Connor.

Mia goes to her dance audition and realises its true nature is an erotic showcase. The other participants perform similarly explicit acts, while Mia waits for her turn. When California Dreamin' starts playing, she leaves the stage in disappointment rather than joining in.

Mia heads to Billy's home and learns the horse had to be put down; she breaks down in tears at the loss and the sense of what could have been. Billy offers a glimmer of companionship that hints at a possible future away from the estate. The moment deepens Mia's sense of loss and longing.

Billy invites Mia to relocate with him to Cardiff; she returns home to pack while Joanne and Tyler watch. They share a synchronized dance to Nas's Life's a Bitch, signaling fragile family solidarity. Mia and Billy depart for Wales, with Tyler's embrace marking a bittersweet farewell.