British Social Realism Themes

Drug Abuse/Drug Experimentation: 

The film "Shifty" shows drug dealing to be a common job to be involved in and knowing a drug dealer, even being friends with one to be quite normal. It also shows how drug dealing can cause conflicts between people as the clip hints at another drug dealer trying to set Shifty up. The film also shows Chris, struggling to keep away from drugs as he had already escaped, he mentions "knocking up weed" in college, suggesting he was once on the same path as Shifty. This shows how it is dangerous and risky job to be involved in, the film only focuses on 24 hours of Shifty's life and his life spirals out of control. The film is a coming of age story, as Shifty's friend tries to make him realise he is is better than drug dealing, and could have had a better future. In the trailer, you see a young girl lying on the bed hinting at drug experimentation and the effects it has on people. Drugs, a theme associated with British Social Realism films as problematic characters are shown to surrender to drugs when times get hard.

In my own British Social Realism film I would show drug experimentation through peer pressure. For example, a young girl pressured into taking drugs by her boyfriend who has been using drugs for a very long time. 

Domestic Abuse: 

The film "Nil By Mouth" shows an iconic scene of a jealous husband losing his temper with his wife and then violently shouting and beating her, a cycle that continues due to his constant violent outbursts and anger issues.There family is rather dysfunctional, Ray already kicking Valerie's brother out because of his addiction to heroin which interferes with business, this shows Ray to be unsympathetic or have a forgiving character as his own anger gets in the way. This also covers the theme of the male gender putting themselves above females, and shows that discrimination may still exist in the household. There is a scene in the film where in a pub it shows a clear separation of male and female characters, suggesting that the females are excluded and are treated inferior. Domestic is approached as a quite normal thing to be happening in households in British Social Realism, so people may think it is an exaggeration but really it just makes the audience realise how common it is.

In my own realist film, I would like to show there still can be a separation of genders in a household, and old themes can still exist. I would like to show or hint towards perhaps an abusive relationship, but don't think I would cover it in as much detail as the clip shown.


Childhood/Corruption of Youth:

In the film "This is England" the story of a troubled young boy is told, Shaun who acts as our lost boy in this realist film. The beginning of the trailer shows how he is treated different, excluded and picked on by kids from school and then somehow falls into the hands of a group of skinheads, who are on the outskirts of society, who have very different and controversial views. Shaun is forced to choose between the two groups of skinheads when Combo returns and enforces his nationalist and racist views. This is no situation for a child to be involved in as he cannot truly understand politics, he is purely following people that he thinks are good examples or mentor figures. This shows how children are forced to grow up too quickly, for example Shaun has lost his father figure, and the group of skinheads he meets provide him with the male support his childhood is lacking, however it forces him to become like them. It is clear to see it has had a bad effect on him, as in the trailer we see how, Shaun walks into a shop and asks for "100 fags and 10 cans of lager." This shows how his childhood has been tainted as he thinks a boy of his age can buy alcohol and cigarettes because of the role models he has been surrounded with. Also, as he is constantly surrounded by violence, verbal or physical, his youth has been corrupted by those around him, for example, in the film he witnesses Combo beating Milky into a coma, which is a sight no child should see. Shaun is too young to see such brutal acts or be introduced to the true world and politics.

Using childhood as one of the main themes of my own film, I would aim to show the story of a young boy forced to support his mother due to the absence of his father, and how he is forced to compromise other things like education and find ways to fund his mother's and his own lives.

Sex:

The film "Rita, Sue and Bob Too" tells the story of two young school girls who have a fling with a married man. The film shows how people can be affected by their very first relationship and first sexual encounters as both girls end up falling for the same man. The story shows how it can cause problems between friends as Rita and Sue end up falling out over the fact that Rita is pregnant with Bob's child and that he is running away with her. It also shows how easy it is for young people to be manipulated by elders as they may have false trust in the person and in a strange way feel secure around them. This theme again was approached in a way that it happens regularly which makes it so shocking to the audience. This theme also associates with British Social Realism as it is part of coming of age, which can be a struggle for some. The girls are represented in a bad light, as Bob's wife confronts the two girls and blames them, and doesn't place blame on her husband originally. This shows that people had the view or may still have the view that if men cheat, it isn't bad, but to be expected and is normal for them. 

Using this theme in a film of my own, I would tell the story of first relationships, and the effect another person can have on someone. For example, a stereotypical bad boy causing a young girl to go off-track and lose control of her life.


Poverty: 

In the film "London to Brighton," the poverty of the broken family introduced to us is clear within the first minutes of the film. The struggle of single parenthood is clear, as the mother has to go out of her way to make some money for a train fare. The film hints at the theme of prostitution, which emphasises her desperate need for her and her daughter to leave London as quickly as possible, also hinting at the idea of running from someone. There is a scene of the mother ordering food at the fish and chip shop, receiving odd looks from others, showing the barrier of social class. Also the fact that she is ordering fish and chips, shows poverty as it is quick, easy and cheap. This theme is approached straight on, meaning the film has no build up, straight away the audience are shown the problems the characters face.

In my own film, I would use the theme of poverty, to show perhaps a broken family struggling to get by and probably a child who suffers the most from this. For example, through bullying at school, being excluded because they are of a different class and not being able to afford basic items.