Blue Jean

Released Jun 9, 2023

1 hr. 37 min.

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

96%

112 Reviews

Tomatometer

92%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

England, 1988 -- Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government is about to pass a law stigmatizing gays and lesbians, forcing Jean, a gym 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.

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Critics Consensus

Bridging times past with issues that are still current, Blue Jean resonates intellectually and emotionally thanks to thoughtful direction and authentic performances.

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Ashley N

Excellently crafted movie. Very tense the whole time and the viewer really feels the tense bottled up emotions and social pressure Jean struggles with. Not sure I was in the right head space for this when I watched, but it was still quite good if that is what you are looking for.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

Stuart B

The film captures history perfectly and Blue Jean is definitely a film I would recommend. Its beautifully shot(by cinematographer Victor Seguin) , has a great soundtrack, and the cast are fantastic in their roles. I definitely recommend Blue Jean and I cant wait to see what director/writer Georgia Oakley has in store next.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/17/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Honest and beautifully acted, written and directed. Also a wonderful score.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/10/24

Full Review

Tyler G

A period piece of a gay gym teacher in the Thatcher UK. At times beautiful, at times more than a bit slow in plot or meaning. Rosy McEwan is simply brilliant and carries the film throughout. So much of the lines that permeated the conservative fear-based political ecosystem can be heard as echoes against trans people today, and still gay folks to a lesser extent. A good movie, but hard to broadly recommend.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/09/23

Full Review

Ravenswood R

Beats you over the head with such overdrawn thematic repetition that after the first 45 minutes you feel like you just want something else to happen or anything whatsoever to be focused on for at least one minor scene other than lesbianism. The "message" is front and center at all times, leaving any other potentially interesting aspects of the film no room to breathe. It is a worthy attempt at a film in support of LGBT+ liberation, but it is very top heavy and extremely unsubtle. It is hard to lose yourself in the story when the writer and director are so afraid you might forget the central fact that these are lesbians that every single moment requires some reminder or demonstration of this fact. There is no need at all for the multiple sex scenes, they actually deter from time that could have been spent making the story better. We know they are lesbian women - we don't need to see the characters physically proving it six times. It becomes pedantic to the level where the viewer gets the point, and then gets the point made 19 more times before it is over: in the 1980s it was very hard to be gay in Britain. Also, apparently to be lesbian you have to do lesbian things and think about being a lesbian, all the time. The acting is very good, and the interplay between characters is believable, but the browbeating and constant restatement of the characters sexuality is far too overdone to make this much of an artistic achievement.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/14/23

Full Review

Brent M

It wasn't all that long ago when the LGBTQ+ community not only didn't have legal protections for its rights, but also faced blatant discrimination against its constituents, prejudiced initiatives aimed at denying them equal treatment under the law and even subjecting them to lawfully sanctioned ostracism. This was true even in "civilized" and "progressive" societies like those found in North America and Europe. And it prompted individuals to live in fear of losing their jobs and leaving them open to ridicule without ramifications, not to mention disrespect and mistrust from their own families. Those chilling conditions are ominously brought to light in this period piece drama set in the UK in the late 1980s, when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government sought the passage of Section 28, legislation aimed at prohibiting activities openly promoting homosexuality, a bill carrying wide-sweeping implications for the LGBTQ+ community. Many of its constituents, like a young lesbian physical education teacher (Rosy McEwen), retreated into the closet to keep out of sight. But those efforts derailed whatever social progress had been made, damaging those individuals' self-esteem and creating a divisive schism between those who vociferously demanded justice and those who chose to keep a low profile to protect themselves, as evidenced by the experiences of the teacher and her out and proud girlfriend (Kerrie Hayes). Writer-director Georgia Oakley's debut feature does a fine (if somewhat predictable) job of illustrating this rift and the effects it had on both the public and personal lives of these people, an effort that earned the film a 2022 BAFTA Award nomination for Best Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. Admittedly, the picture's opening act meanders a bit, but, once it gets on track, when the emergence of various damning revelations threatens to blow things wide open, it steadily grows more powerful and heartfelt, qualities supported by the fine performances of the cast, solid writing, and its skillfully crafted atmospheric cinematography and production design. It also provides viewers with a potent cautionary tale about the effects of initiatives like Section 28 (which was in force from 1988 to 2003) and the parallels to this legislation that are currently under consideration in various US jurisdictions. It effectively shows us how Jean became so blue – and how we should seek to prevent the same from happening to the rest of us.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/04/23

Full Review

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Georgia Oakley

Director

Rosy McEwen

Jean

Kerrie Hayes

Viv

Lydia Page

Siobhan

Stacy Abalogun

Ace

Lucy Halliday

Lois

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Micco Caporale

Chicago Reader

It’s a powerful, cerulean-tinged debut from filmmaker Georgia Oakley with timely reminders about the toll of systemic bigotry—the same kind that can be seen today with gender panic.

Dec 18, 2023

Full Review

Alison Willmore

New York Magazine/Vulture

Blue Jean’s real power comes from its examination of the human costs of living in fear.

Dec 9, 2023

Full Review

Drew Gregory

Autostraddle

The triumph of Blue Jean is that it takes time showing the queer lives at stake. This is not a dour film. It has hot lesbian sex, sweaty snapshots of queer bars, and, ultimately, portrays the power of community.

Aug 18, 2023

Full Review

James Croot

Stuff.co.nz

If you’re a fan of the kind of evocative, provocative kitchen sink dramas lovingly crafted by the likes of Mike Leigh, Andrea Arnold and Clio Barnard, then this is well worth seeking out.

Rated: 4.5/5

Apr 5, 2024

Full Review

Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

A character study that grows deeper and more rewarding on multiple rewatches.

Feb 13, 2024

Full Review

John Serba

Decider

Blue Jean is a thoughtful, well-written and extraordinarily acted character drama that never feels preachy, and always feels relevant.

Dec 19, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

England, 1988 -- Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government is about to pass a law stigmatizing gays and lesbians, forcing Jean, a gym 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.

Director: Georgia Oakley
Executive Producer: Jim Reeve, Eva Yates, Louise Ortega
Screenwriter: Georgia Oakley
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Great Point Media, Kleio Films, BFI Film Fund, BBC Film, Cineart
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 9, 2023, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $110.1K

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