It’s the late ’80s in “Blue Jean,” the debut film from British director Georgia Oakley. The decade is remembered for, amongst other things, its promotion of wealth and excess, a process helped by the king and queen of neo-liberalism: Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. The latter has just helped to usher in Section 28, a draconian series of laws banning the “promotion of homosexuality” (the law wasn’t revoked until 2003).
Amidst this backdrop, we meet the titular Jean (Rosy McEwen), a queer gym teacher in Tyneside, a city in northeast England. Having been hitherto able to avoid being outed to her employer or the parents of the children under her auspices, Jean seems fine within the confines of her circle of friends, her partner, Viv (Kerrie Hayes), and dating shows on television. Yet, as the political forever proves inescapable, Jean’s life is turned upside down by the simultaneous arrival crises of the ramifications of Section 28 and her bumping into Lois (Lucy Halliday), a student of hers, at a queer pub.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government is about to pass a law stigmatizing gays and lesbians, forcing Jean, a PE teacher, to live a double life. As pressure mounts from all sides, the arrival of a new girl at school catalyzes a crisis that will challenge Jean to her core.
Described as “one of 2022’s most welcome surprises” by The Playlist’s very own Jack King, “Blue Jean” is already a critically acclaimed film, having spurred excitement at the Venice Film Festival late last summer. The film also comes at a time when the resurgence of far-right politics is paving the way for wanton violence against queer and trans people. While the narrative is set over three decades ago, the echoes of a past not yet overcome will be impossible to ignore.
“Blue Jean” will be released in theaters on February 10 via Altitude Films in the U.K. The film comes in the U.S. later this year via Magnolia Pictures.
