Little did I know, when swinging my limbs on the dance floor to Melodies of Love, in March 2022 – complete with 80s attire, shades and a cigarette in hand – I’d be on the film set for a groundbreaking piece of cinema.
Almost a year later, this week, I was honoured to attend the prescreening for Georgia Oakley’s, Blue Jean. Given that the feature takes place during the dreaded enforcement of Section 28, what better time to watch than LGBT+ month? And given its North East setting, what better place, than Tyneside Cinema?
Straight away, everything down to the last detail stinks of effort, from the shell suits to the splendid sounds of 80s music. We follow the story of Jean (Rosy McEwen), a lesbian PE teacher from 1988’s Tyneside who draws a very forceful line between her work and social life – during a part of Britain’s history that is severely under-told.
However, although it takes place during a time when homosexuality was discouraged, that isn’t necessarily the only story being told here. More so that we have this person that doesn’t feel content with who they are and because of this the movie has such a wide appeal, reaching out to those who have felt like an outcast or haven’t been sure of their station in life at one point or another.
It communicates the struggles subtly, giving a rich sense of authenticity as we see an individual trying to blend in with society, even if it means suppressing who they truly are.
If mass rebellion in the third act is what you’re after, this isn’t the flick for you, as it’s a semi-fictional tale and that’s not how things actually transpired. Instead, it communicates the struggles subtly, giving a rich sense of authenticity as we see an individual trying to blend in with society, even if it means suppressing who they truly are.
Tremendous performances from the three leads (McEwen, Kerrie Hayes & Lucy Halliday) each playing lesbians at very different stages of “out”. But, from this Novocastrian film fanatic, a respectful tip of the hat to McEwen who nails one of the hardest accents to pull off in the U.K.
Hopefully, this opens more doors for those under-told stories and strong narratives set in the North East of England.
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