Social Realism as a genre is usually a form of allowing an audience to feel empathy for a protagonist that is underrepresented by contemporary mainstream media, due to her being a underclass teenage female. In Fish Tank, we are led to feel empathy for our protagonist Mia by the way technical and narrative conventions are used to portray her situation.
In this scene, the narrative is essential to it's contribution to the Social Realist genre as it presents taboo themes in a completely real and unglamourised way; the shots are not cut to avoid taboos in the slightest and we see every second as somebody in the room actually would, leading us to feel uncomfortable having to face the realities of taboos in a way that is normally avoided.
Technical codes such as the lighting contribute to this as the slightly darker atmosphere (as opposed to the rest of the film), from the beginning of the clip foreshadows the coming taboo scene positioning the audience in a state of anxiety and dread during her dance routine.
However, in the rest of the film, Mia subverts the traditional role of a Social Realist protagonist, by being represented in a negative light. Mia is masculinised by her actions, showing aggression towards both strangers and close friends and family. She would not be considered a 'hero' by a passive audience due to this, but, as Social Realism is a genre aimed at a niche audience primarily, it is possible to see past this as an active audience.
The stereotype that Social Realist films present women negatively is accurate to this film as although they dominate the cast, they are reliant on the lead male antagonist and unable to escape this, despite his actions towards them.
