The film “Blue Jean” by Georgia Oakley captures a story set in the repressive period of the UK in 1988, when the government prohibited the promotion of homosexuality in schools. Against this backdrop, the protagonist of the movie Jean (Rosy McEwen) is a lesbian high school gym teacher who, while traversing between her life as a lesbian and as a gym teacher, is constantly bombarded by broadcasts of Thatcher’s anti-homosexual views. In the beginning she is seen to have already come out to her family and divorced her husband. Meanwhile, she is trying to establish her identity as a queer person. The story takes a dramatic turn when Jean meets Lois (Lucy Halliday), a new student in her class.
As a lesbian teacher, Jean’s equilibrium is disturbed as Lois becomes a target for bullying in the locker room. Jean’s responsibility as a teacher to intervene in fights between students and her commitment to using her authority to prevent younger people from becoming victims and perpetrators of homophobia, rattles Jean, disturbing even her life with her partner Viv (Kerrie Hayes). As the story progresses, the film portrays Jean’s struggle to balance her work and personal life as discreetly as possible.
“Blue Jean” is a movie with an accomplished production level- from the moppish 1980s haircuts to the New Order music choices, to the neon gender symbols at the lesbian bar. The film’s most impressive quality, however, is its nuanced understanding of how political circumstances create different spheres of life for people like Jean. Her public and private lives are stacked, and Jean carries both like fragile cargo. The film captures the genuine feelings and conflicts of a character who is struggling to navigate through a repressive society that does not acknowledge her identity.
Blue Jean
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes. In theaters.
