Blue Jean

In selected cinemas now

Georgia Oakley’s subtly devastating debut achieves the delicate balancing act of chronicling a very specific, emotionally charged moment in time while conveying a message that is still applicable, and vitally important, to modern life.

Blue Jean, written and directed by Oakley and the deserving recipient of awards at both the Venice Film Festival and British Independent Film Awards, is a distinctive, female-led narrative focused on Jean, a PE teacher in late 1980s Britain whose private and professional life is threatened by the passing of Section 28 by Margaret Thatcher’s government.

For those unaware, Section 28 was a horrendous piece of legislation which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality by local authorities. This was especially devastating for people such as Jean (who is played masterfully by Rosy McEwen), as it forces them to essentially live a double life in which their sexuality and, consequentially, their identity is withheld from everyday life for fear that it will cost them their livelihood.

Through the quiet anguish of McEwen’s expressions, we see how this dilemma evokes an oscillation of emotions that wreak havoc on Jean’s relationships with her pupils, family, friends, and – perhaps most tragically – her partner (played excellently by Kerrie Hayes). Further distinguishing Blue Jean as an outstanding piece of cinema is the subtle ways in which Oakley and cinematographer Victor Seguin communicate the everyday threats that pervade the life of queer people living in Thatcherite Britain, be it the casual misogyny of popular shows such as Blind Date or the unapologetically oppressive language used in election billboards.

Such causes for consternation are of course not relics of the past and, with the current Tory government demonstrating increasing hostility towards the LGBTQ+ community, Blue Jean feels all the more like an essential and timely piece of cinema.