Blue Jean, the “unflinching” and “engrossing” drama from the BBC, will soon be available to stream on Netflix.
The 2023 film, from writer-director Georgia Oakley, follows closeted PE teacher Jean Newman (Rosy McEwen), who is in a happy but secretive relationship with Viv (Kerrie Hayes) in 1980s Tyneside.
Amid a crackdown from the Conservative government, which introduces Clause 28 to “prohibit the promotion of homosexuality” – Jean’s double-life comes under threat from all angles after a student, Lois (Lucy Halliday), discovers her secret.
Produced by BBC Film and BFI, Blue Jean will soon be on Netflix, with the drama set to be added to the streaming service on 1 July. For those that can’t wait, it is currently available via BBC iPlayer, with the film airing in February as part of the British Film Premiere season.
Premiering at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in September 2022, Blue Jean has been acclaimed by critics, garnering a near-perfect approval rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes from 115 reviews.
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“This film captures that anxiety-ridden time and milieu perfectly… a terrific, truly engrossing film,” wrote Edge Media Network, with Screen Rant echoing these sentiments as they dubbed it “engrossing” and “quite timely”.
NYC Movie Guru described it as “emotionally engrossing” and “tender” as they lauded McEwen’s “radiant” performance, while Culture Mix wrote that the film was “an unflinching look at how a British lesbian’s life is affected by homophobia”.
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“Blue Jean is a non-judgmental tale of self-acceptance, intergenerational solidarity and sapphic power,” wrote Time Out, while The Independent praised McEwen for “bracingly” capturing the character’s “indecision and regret”.
Little White Lies was similarly positive as they described it an “impactful cautionary tale”, while IndieWire praised McEwen’s “luminous” performance as well as Oakley’s ability to “ground the political with the personal” without “losing sight of queer joy”.
Blue Jean is currently available on BBC iPlayer, while it will be added to Netflix on 1 July.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
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