British cinema is often thought of in two halves, both addressing the events (fictionalised or otherwise) of the past: lavish Victorian or Georgian dramas, laced with star performances and elaborate manor house sets, and grittier social realist films that tend to address more modern history. For many, this represents a broader divide – while your political affiliations don’t prevent you from enjoying certain things, the intense impact of class in Britain is hard to ignore when considering these related but polarised subgenres. Blue Jean is a beautiful example of the latter category, using its 1980s setting to interrogate not just historical problems, but contemporary human rights issues. 

The feature debut of writer/director Georgia Oakley, Blue Jean is a character study centring around a P.E. teacher who struggles to live her life as a lesbian under Margaret Thatcher’s Section 28. For those lucky enough to be unfamiliar with this legislation, it prohibited the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ in schools and rendered a huge proportion of Britain’s gay and lesbian population unable to exist comfortably as themselves. Jean’s pain and joy within her work, family, and local gay community is bolstered by Rosy McEwen’s wonderful lead performance, at her best when juxtaposed with Kerrie Hayes as her girlfriend Viv.

With issues surrounding LGBT, and specifically trans, rights currently flooding the media, Blue Jean reminds us that much of the outrage is nothing new. Different kinds of people will always exist, no matter how the government tries to suppress this essential truth, and artistic outlets like film will always be here for those who need to express the honesty of their own humanity.

Blue Jean is screening from 24th Feb - 9th March. Book Tickets Here