Blue Jean

Blue Jean

Winner of the People’s Choice Award at the 2022 Venice Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori and nominated for 13 British Independent Film Awards, Blue Jean is a tender yet unflinching portrait of identity, secrecy, and quiet rebellion. The debut feature from writer-director Georgia Oakley, the film captures the tension of life in 1980s Britain, when personal freedom and political oppression collided under the shadow of Margaret Thatcher’s government.

Set in 1988, during the implementation of Section 28—a law that prohibited the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools—Blue Jean follows Jean (Rosy McEwen), a reserved physical education teacher living a double life. By day, she keeps her sexuality hidden from colleagues and students; by night, she finds belonging and liberation within Newcastle’s vibrant queer community. When a new student threatens to expose her secret, Jean is forced to confront the walls she has built between her public and private selves.

Oakley’s direction is intimate and compassionate, steeped in smoky blues and muted tones that evoke both the suffocation and the beauty of Jean’s world. McEwen delivers a breakout performance of remarkable restraint, embodying the fear, shame, and quiet courage of someone struggling to exist authentically in a society determined to silence her.

Blue Jean is a powerful and emotionally charged story about the cost of hiding and the strength it takes to live openly. It’s a film that resonates far beyond its era—a timeless reminder of how resistance often begins with the simple act of being seen.

Screening With:

Adore

Student Short Showcase

Luci, a queer Peruvian-Canadian woman, gives her beloved nephew the Christmas gift of his dreams: a beautiful sequined dress. But when he tries to show the rest of the family, Luci finds herself enacting the same restrictions and shaming she hoped to protect him from.

11 mins
Canada, 2022
Dir. Beth Warrian
Language: English, Spanish

Sponsored by: