“We were told this film would struggle to find an audience”: Georgia Oakley on Blue Jean

Blue Jean is the 1988 Newcastle-set story of a lesbian PE teacher who struggles to find her place and identity amid the tensions created by the UK government’s introduction of Section 28 under Margaret Thatcher, forbidding any “promotion” of homosexuality by local councils. Creating a strong sense of the era through costumes and music, from the schoolyard to lesbian dive bars, as well as the popular culture that indirectly propagated heteronormative ideals in the form of shows such as Blind Date, the viewer is immersed in seeing the world from the perspective of the protagonist. Akin to a thriller, the production brings a visceral, latent sense of threat that seems only to increase as time goes on; homophobic sentiment grows amongst Jean’s colleagues, while she simultaneously feels more and more out of sync with her peers, who are relatively open about their sexuality. Perhaps most striking is how, despite being set 40 years ago, the film’s discourse around LGBTQIA+ is echoed in topics today, emerging as a warning of sorts that we haven’t progressed as far as we might think. With four BIFAs already under its belt and a BAFTA nomination, the idea such tales are too niche is surely proven to be passé.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of speaking with director Georgia Oakley about why she wanted to set her debut feature in 80s England amid the introduction of Section 28, the extensive research that went into understanding the sociopolitical climate and pop culture that fed into the public consciousness at that time, and the incredible central performance delivered by her star, Rosy McEwen. We also discussed the lack of lesbian-focused stories on screen and how she hopes the film will highlight how the language we use around LGBTQIA+ issues today is reminiscent of 40 years ago. She further shared how it feels that so many viewers have connected with the story, when she was told she would struggle to find an audience for her indie queer flick.

Sarah Bradbury

Blue Jean is released in select UK cinemas on 10^th February 2023. Read our review here.

Watch the trailer for Blue Jean here: