Blue Jean

The closet she came!, and all the rest of the tyneside dykes and dallies, in the roaring 80's british lgbtq+ redemtion movement, a time where gay and lesbians really stood out as real individualees, fighting for the rights to be equaly treated by society trying to squelch the heterosexual dominance on common settings in life like being the teacher and nurse and coalminer as they were educated as, without meing branded as children molestors and pedophiles, which was a normal rank in these days...

a really emotional flick about lesbianism in the thickest of geordieland, up on the northeast coast of england,where the pitches are so muddy and the only thing you dream of is sun and sand, just like the fight the main caracter in this flick goes through. Being in a rather voulnarable position as a P. E. teacher at the local school youre able to follow the ups and downs of her social life as well as her professional careere, as well as her abilities to sipht out new young girls on the block, which in the end becomes a harrowing threat that will stigmatize and ruin her life as a working teacher.

Loads of good old dj emeralds youll hear if viewing blue jean, well entwined into the bleach and grey landscape of blustery tyneside, ill be better of going to yewtree gardens or maybe it was peartree somewhere walkerville ne6 4tr, a very well made gay movie for sure...

so lets break the walls down in the end, just like the romans did in...wallsend...be proud of yourself whoever you are and have a good time viewing mrs mcewen, quite an enchanting one. A recommend from the ever so grumpy old man.

Set in 1988 Newcastle, Blue Jean follows a closeted PE teacher as she navigates the oppressive climate of Section 28 legislation, which threatens her livelihood if her sexuality is revealed, which Rosy does brilliantly through the film. This was recommended to me. I feel the film conveys 80s Northern England & the struggles that people like me would have gone through pretty well, despite being born a long time after 1988. I felt like the film addresses the impact of Section 28 pretty well, as one of the characters feels the need to hide her sexuality due to the fear of losing her job under the legislation, whilst another shows the tension & secrecy that LGBTQ+ individuals faced as students.

This film had a plot line that was like a documentary piece of 1980s Britain, in particular the whole 'Section 28' legislation using a PE teacher, Jean and her experiences in the period. How times (although the 1980s still seems relatively recent to me!) have moved on with the repealing of the said legislation in 2003. The whole intricacies of the said legislation is freely available to study elsewhere, this is strictly a review of the film I watched.

The film was shot on 16mm film and like other films using this medium it gives it a documentary type feel to proceedings or so I think.

It compares favourably with the 1980s timeframe of the story and other films of that period such as Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987). The film also demonstrates the 1980s sound of synthesizers and beats from pop music of the time.

The cast put in excellent performances in conveying the bleakness of the whole story and can only be commended for their work on such a low budget film, which the U. K. seems to excel at producing.

There's a Section that's enacted to create, prejudice, intolerance and hate, treating people in a way, causing division, leaving no say, this is what Britain had come to in those days (although lift a few stones and you find it's not actually progressed that much since) - as Jean, a PE teacher, brilliantly performed by Rosy McEwen, struggles with her sexuality becoming known to her colleagues and her students, and the impact that might have on her career, especially as the teenage Lois has begun her journey of discovery and self-awareness. I thought Kerrie Harris put in a great performance as Jean's partner Viv too. Well worth watching, not only for the performances but as a reminder of a world that's not that long passed.

Jean (Rosy McEwen) is an attractive 20-something frosty haired gym teacher. She's asked by one of her colleagues at the school to go out for drinks with some of their fellow teachers - might even be a guy or two with an eye out for her. Jean, who has a female partner, demurs not by replying directly, but coming up with a a lame excuse. It's just one of the times that Jean is confronted with telling the truth, but "lies" instead.

England. Late 80s. Margaret Thatcher's conservative Britain to be precise. The nation is in full moral panic mode and the very suspicion that a teacher might be gay is grounds for removal. The law was called Section 28. To Writer-Director Georgia Oakley's credit, BLUE JEAN never becomes a polemic. It simply presents the reality of what people like Jean were going through at the time. Oakley's screenplay unfolds at a natural pace and the audience is given the details of Jean's background at an unhurried pace.

Jean's girlfriend is Viv (Kerrie Hayes) who, by contrast, is very much 'out'. She flaunts her sexuality and makes no apologies. Also complicating things for Jean is a new student, Lois (Lucy Halliday), who happens to hang out in the same local gay bar. Jean's family is little help, even her sister Sasha (Aoife Kennan) who outwardly supports her sibling, but is nonetheless concerned about protecting her young son when she is around.

The performances here all very good, with McEwen embodying her character's ambivalence, while also demonstrating fortitude. It's a tricky balance which Oakley's filmmaking ably abets. Oakley also creates a vivid depiction of the era with details of the LGBTQ community at the time. Songs by New Order, Letta Mbulu and Colourbox and others grace the soundtrack and the screenplay is filled with precise and distinctive terminology. There are not great revelations or epiphanies for Jean, but, Oakley imbues her main character with an inner strength that is palpable.

Section 28 was repealed in 2003.