British Social Realism - Themes
In British Social Realist films themes are used throughout the entirety of the films to create a stronger and more emotional film.
Violence:
In the film Adulthood violence is one of the main themes as denoted by the character on the floor and the violent kicking just prior to that which is shown in the screenshot. This screenshot is denoted further by the use of a prop, in this case the knife and the hoodies that are worn in the scene.
The knife connotes serious violence to the point where it has reached levels where it breaches the territory of hatred. This is because knives are a stereotypical weapon used in a lot of murders and is a very feared thing in public, it connotes that you are twisted and very aggressive. Furthermore a knife is a seen as a much more personal form of weapon as it requires you to get up close to someone in order to kill someone unlike a gun, it suggests that the violence is much more directed towards one target, which is the case in British Social Realism films because in this genre of film this is normally between two main archetypes, that being the weak but aggressive man (bully) and the lost boy/the failing man. This makes you feel a lot more sympathetic towards the second archetype and makes the films seem much more powerful as a result.
Rebellion/Freedom:
In the film Billy Elliot, the theme of childhood is represented, this is denoted easily by his mother driving him in the car and that he is doing sports at his school. The rebellious side of him is denoted through him trying to do ballet and is seen in a dark room next to a rope in a ballet outfit.
The ballet dancing connotes rebellion but in a very soft and not a very dark tone, because ballet is seen as a thing for women only and if a man is to do ballet is shunned for being so feminine. This further connotes that children and people who are often not fully grown adults are the ones who normally are rebellious, as it is seen as a form of freedom. In British Social Realist films, freedom is very well known and explored concept, for example if we compare this film with The Selfish Giant, this film explores it in a different way as it is about free time whereas in the other film it is to do with social class. This is normally something that isn't normally awarded to any of the characters and so puts across a very depressing tone and environment. I will use this in my film trailer as it is targeted at a teenager audience of about 15-25 and so rebellion would be something that people of this age would be able to relate to much more.
Corruption of Youth:
In the film Fish Tank, corruption of Youth is denoted by the main character of the film buying alcohol illegally.
The fact that she is buying alcohol when she isn't of age connotes that she is a very rebellious figure, much alike the theme of rebellion, only in this theme it is always a negative reasoning. This is an illegal act and connotes that the main character isn't living how she would want to, something is wrong with her lifestyle. It connotes that she hasn't had a childhood and/or has a very neglecting parent, in this case she does. This brings a very dark feeling to the movie as we would expect someone of her age to be innocent, where as she isn't, this isn't a very typical behavior and makes the audience feel uncomfortable watching it to a certain degree. In a way it also makes us feel angry and frustrated with the current quality of parenting in the current generation and is shown as a British Social Realist film by showing the bad parts of real society.
Isolation
The theme of isolation is denoted by a little girl who is sitting in the middle of a alleyway looking for money.
The girl sitting on her own connotes the theme of isolation because she appears to be alone on her own and seem to be abandoned by her parents, this shows that she is a person that is not cared for and is ignored by the rest of society. She is ignored by everyone and nobody will even listen to her. This makes us feel very sorry and sympathetic for the situation she is in and would we wouldn't even consider this to be a reality for ourselves. It also connotes that she has no friends and that connotes that she may be depressed as this is one of the reasons people may be depressed. I will use this theme or could use it as it makes the character seem distant and as though an outcast from the rest of society and helps create a strong and powerful mood to the film.
Abuse:
In the film nil by mouth the theme of domestic abuse is denoted by the shot of the woman angry and upset after the male character passes.
The fact that she is crying and angry when the man is present connotes that she is a victim of domestic abuse. This is a very serious and used theme in British Social Realism because it can happen to anyone and is serious, this is because you would expect in a relationship for the characters to be happy and not to be abused, it makes the person appear very weak and fragile and very hopeless to the point that they are scared to do anything.
Violence:
The knife connotes serious violence to the point where it has reached levels where it breaches the territory of hatred. This is because knives are a stereotypical weapon used in a lot of murders and is a very feared thing in public, it connotes that you are twisted and very aggressive. Furthermore a knife is a seen as a much more personal form of weapon as it requires you to get up close to someone in order to kill someone unlike a gun, it suggests that the violence is much more directed towards one target, which is the case in British Social Realism films because in this genre of film this is normally between two main archetypes, that being the weak but aggressive man (bully) and the lost boy/the failing man. This makes you feel a lot more sympathetic towards the second archetype and makes the films seem much more powerful as a result.
Rebellion/Freedom:
The ballet dancing connotes rebellion but in a very soft and not a very dark tone, because ballet is seen as a thing for women only and if a man is to do ballet is shunned for being so feminine. This further connotes that children and people who are often not fully grown adults are the ones who normally are rebellious, as it is seen as a form of freedom. In British Social Realist films, freedom is very well known and explored concept, for example if we compare this film with The Selfish Giant, this film explores it in a different way as it is about free time whereas in the other film it is to do with social class. This is normally something that isn't normally awarded to any of the characters and so puts across a very depressing tone and environment. I will use this in my film trailer as it is targeted at a teenager audience of about 15-25 and so rebellion would be something that people of this age would be able to relate to much more.
Corruption of Youth:
The fact that she is buying alcohol when she isn't of age connotes that she is a very rebellious figure, much alike the theme of rebellion, only in this theme it is always a negative reasoning. This is an illegal act and connotes that the main character isn't living how she would want to, something is wrong with her lifestyle. It connotes that she hasn't had a childhood and/or has a very neglecting parent, in this case she does. This brings a very dark feeling to the movie as we would expect someone of her age to be innocent, where as she isn't, this isn't a very typical behavior and makes the audience feel uncomfortable watching it to a certain degree. In a way it also makes us feel angry and frustrated with the current quality of parenting in the current generation and is shown as a British Social Realist film by showing the bad parts of real society.
Isolation
The girl sitting on her own connotes the theme of isolation because she appears to be alone on her own and seem to be abandoned by her parents, this shows that she is a person that is not cared for and is ignored by the rest of society. She is ignored by everyone and nobody will even listen to her. This makes us feel very sorry and sympathetic for the situation she is in and would we wouldn't even consider this to be a reality for ourselves. It also connotes that she has no friends and that connotes that she may be depressed as this is one of the reasons people may be depressed. I will use this theme or could use it as it makes the character seem distant and as though an outcast from the rest of society and helps create a strong and powerful mood to the film.
Abuse:
The fact that she is crying and angry when the man is present connotes that she is a victim of domestic abuse. This is a very serious and used theme in British Social Realism because it can happen to anyone and is serious, this is because you would expect in a relationship for the characters to be happy and not to be abused, it makes the person appear very weak and fragile and very hopeless to the point that they are scared to do anything.
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