Trailer Watch: A Closeted Gym Teacher Wrestles with Her Identity in Georgia Oakley’s “Blue Jean”
“I’m damaged, and in a way you’re not — at least you don’t have to be,” a P.E. teacher tells her student in a new trailer for “Blue Jean.” Written and directed by Georgia Oakley, the drama is set...
MikeTyes
Trailer Watch: A Closeted Gym Teacher Wrestles with Her Identity in Georgia Oakley’s “Blue Jean”
"Blue Jean"“I’m damaged, and in a way you’re not — at least you don’t have to be,” a P.E. teacher tells her student in a new trailer for “Blue Jean.” Written and directed by Georgia Oakley, the drama is set in 1988 England and tells the story of Jean (Rosy McEwen), a lesbian who is living a double life. A new law introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s government, Section 28, seeks to stop schools and local governments from “promoting homosexuality” by making it illegal.
When Jean runs into one of her students (Lucy Halliday) at a gay bar, she goes into crisis, seemingly torn between the desire to save her job and to be a support system to the teen. “What kind of example are you setting for her?” Jean’s girlfriend (Kerrie Hayes) asks. A defensive Jean explains that she doesn’t feel the need to ” parade [her] sexuality around like a badge of honor.”
Asked what drew her to this story, Oakley told us, “I read an article about a group of lesbians who had abseiled, in early 1988, into the House of Lords from the public gallery during a debate on Section 28. And I was struck by this amazing image, and what might have led up to this event, historically. But I was also amazed that I’d never heard about this law, despite the fact that it wasn’t repealed till 2003. I started thinking about the impact it would have had on gay teachers, but also the indelible mark it had left on my life, without my knowing of its existence,” she explained.
“Blue Jean” made its world premiere at last year’s Venice Film Festival. It hits cinemas in England February 10. No word on a U.S. release date yet.
