What makes Blue Jean so memorable is not just McEwen’s stellar performance but the delicate balance between a plot that moves like a thriller and the beautifully nuanced approach to secondary characters like Jean’s sister.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Dec 11, 2024

Rosy McEwen gives a phenomenal performance in Blue Jean, the Thatcher-era drama that marks the exceptional debut of British director Georgia Oakley.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Jul 25, 2024

Oakley treats everyone affected with compassion, portraying them as stronger than the forces that seek to shame and ostracise them, even if they don’t realise it yet.

| Jul 15, 2024

Oakley’s incredible debut expertly manages to hold a mirror up to society’s continued failings through the lens of a victim falling prey to the internalised homophobia that is prevalent in the very fabric of our lives

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Jul 4, 2024

Manages to work our nerves on both a familiar, personal level and a historical sapphic perspective that will, in its strongest moments, ring true to any queer viewer.

| May 29, 2024

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.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Apr 5, 2024

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

| Feb 13, 2024

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

| Dec 19, 2023

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

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

| Dec 9, 2023

Oakley constructs a landscape in Blue Jean that responds to the cruelty of real society with a stark generosity. As a result, the audience is invited to sympathize with as many characters as possible.

| Nov 8, 2023

Jean’s self-reckoning is sensitivity in close-up.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 3, 2023

The protagonist, who is very convincing in conveying the distress that dominates her, supports the structure of a film that has an overdose of information and heavy-handed moments. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 21, 2023

Fortunately, Oakley avoids all the lesbianism clichés. It is not as subtle on other issues, as it strongly underlines conservatism. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/4 | Sep 21, 2023

... Without a doubt, Blue Jean is one of the most singular and promising debuts in recent times. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 19, 2023

Blue Jean is an exceptional work that shows history consistently repeats. Although it isn’t actively a protest film, it is one that is imbued with resistance at its core.

| Sep 6, 2023

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

A very well done character study.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 30, 2023

An unflinching look at how a British lesbian's life is affected by homophobia. This drama takes place in 1988, but the themes are timeless and universal. The acting is better than average, even though the movie's ending might be too vague for some people.

| Jul 26, 2023

Aside from its smart writing and grounding in real-world stakes, Blue Jean also has courageous performances. McEwen as Jean is exquisitely torn, giving an impressively internal performance that eventually spills over.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 21, 2023